Sailor Trek: Deep Space Nine: A Sailor Paradox
by timetracker2643
Summary: Sisko and the crew of DS9 Help the remaining Scouts restore time to the way it was.
1. Chapter 1 - The Call of the Prophets

soton@aol.com (Soton)  
  
Sailor Trek DS9 - Part 1  
  
Standard Questionably Useful Disclaimer:  
  
  
  
Sailor Moon and all related characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi;  
  
and are copyright to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei, DIC and whoever else.  
  
  
  
Star Trek Deep Space Nine was created by Rick Berman and Michael Pillar;  
  
and is owned and copyrighted by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Based upon Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.  
  
  
  
This story (such as it is) is MINE!!!  
  
This fanfic is intended solely for entertainment purposes and no  
  
violation of said copyrights is intended or implied. Permission granted  
  
to copy this to other web pages as long as this disclaimer is attached,  
  
and the text of the story is unmodified.  
  
  
  
Timeline note: Takes place in the middle part of season four of "Star  
  
Trek: Deep Space Nine" (shortly after the episode "Paradise Lost"), and  
  
during season one of "Sailor Moon".  
  
  
  
Prologue:  
  
Komentac'lan, the Jem'Hadar First for this attack ship, watched  
  
calmly as the Vorta, Fiden, glanced over the bridge, examining each  
  
station carefully. He was confident that all was as it should be, but  
  
it was the role of the Vorta to command the Jem'Hadar. This was as it  
  
should be, as it was ordained by the Founders.  
  
It was, after all, the order of things.  
  
And Fiden's excessive caution was warranted on this trip...  
  
considering who their passenger was. The life of a Founder was not one  
  
to be trifled with.  
  
"What is our ETA to the nebula?" he asked of his Second,  
  
Boretkat'lyn. As he understood it, they were to rendezvous with a  
  
freighter in the nebula and the Founder would transfer to it. Where it  
  
would go after that he had no idea, nor was it his place to ask, but he  
  
supposed that it would be bound for the Alpha Quadrant.  
  
"We should get there within eighteen hours," Boretkat'lyn replied  
  
promptly. Fiden nodded, apparently satisfied, but before he could add  
  
anything the ship trembled under them and the lights flickered  
  
momentarily.  
  
"Report!" snapped the First.  
  
"We seem to have encountered an unknown spatial phenomena," came  
  
the answer. "One that affected all three ships of our group."  
  
"What kind of phenomena?" the Vorta asked. "A wormhole?"  
  
"Possibly," the Second said, but his voice was doubtful. "We seem  
  
to have shifted through space."  
  
The First concentrated on his viewer and looked around the ship.  
  
Outside he could see a blue-green world nearby, apparently inhabited.  
  
It's one visible moon could be seen in the distance. As the nearest  
  
inhabited planet had been several light years from their location, there  
  
was no doubt they had moved a great distance through space. It only  
  
remained a question of how far. "What is our current location?"  
  
The navigator looked up from his console. "The Terran system, sir."  
  
"We moved right into the heart of the Federation," Fiden commented,  
  
blatantly stating the obvious. "If it's a stable wormhole, it could  
  
prove to be of immense use to us."  
  
The Second interrupted his musings. "I'm not sure it was a  
  
wormhole."  
  
"Explain," the First ordered.  
  
"While we are in the Terran system, I can detect no signs of  
  
Federation installations. No orbital stations, no lunar colonies, no  
  
shipyards of any type... no signs of inhabitation at all... except on  
  
Earth itself."  
  
The First digested this news silently, while Fiden closely examined  
  
the world below them in his own viewer. "Then... where *are* we?"  
  
  
  
"Where *are* they?" the Klingon growled.  
  
Worf stood on the bridge of the Defiant, scowling as he peered over  
  
O'Brien's shoulder. They had been monitoring the three Dominion ships  
  
for several hours when they had mysteriously vanished from their sensors.  
  
As there hadn't been any previous indication that the Dominion possessed  
  
cloaking technology, this was a cause for concern for the Klingon officer.  
  
If the Dominion had managed to salvage a cloaking device or two from the  
  
Cardassian/Romulan fleet they destroyed, then their one true advantage  
  
(however slim) they had over the Gamma Quadrant power could be gone.  
  
Eventually the Chief shook his head. "It's no good, sir. They've  
  
vanished into thin air."  
  
"Did they cloak?" Worf asked.  
  
"No sir," O'Brien replied emphatically. "If they had, I would've  
  
seen a phase shift in their warp fields." He paused and stared at the  
  
monitor. "It's as if they just up and left the universe entirely."  
  
"Very well," the Klingon rumbled, obviously dissatisfied. "Log all  
  
pertinent data and transmit it to the station for Commander Dax to  
  
analyze later." He turned to the helmsman. "Lay in a course for the  
  
wormhole."  
  
  
  
Fiden paced impatiently across the bridge. For two hours now they,  
  
and the other two attack ships, had been trying to determine what had  
  
happened. Unfortunately, while Jem'Hadar made excellent soldiers, they  
  
were not very good at scientific analysis. That being the case, it came  
  
down to the Vorta to arrive at an answer.  
  
But the answers were not being very forthcoming. This seemed to be  
  
Earth, but much more primitive than it should be. It was possible that  
  
they had traveled through time as well, but there were several historical  
  
inconsistencies with their observations of Earth.  
  
It was as if they had moved to another reality altogether. But  
  
that was impossible.  
  
Wasn't it?  
  
Komentac'lan stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop. "It is  
  
time for the White," he insisted.  
  
Fiden frowned, quickly going over his options in his mind. If they  
  
were stranded without any avenue of returning to the Dominion (and  
  
therefore of resupplying themselves with Ketracel White), then it was  
  
only a matter of time before their current supply ran out and his hold  
  
over the Jem'Hadar vanished. But if he withheld what they needed, their  
  
performance would be impaired by withdrawal... After a moment, he  
  
decided that it might be prudent to give them what they required now.  
  
He would decide on what course of action to take later. "Of course."  
  
Opening the case that contained the White, he asked the ritual question:  
  
"First Komentac'lan, can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?"  
  
As always, Komentac'lan responded, "We pledge ourselves to the  
  
Founders. From now and until death."  
  
Fiden removed the required vials and handed them to Komentac'lan.  
  
"Then receive this gift of the Founders. May it keep you strong."  
  
The First was still distributing the White to his unit when the  
  
Founder, having assumed a humanoid form, entered the room. This was not  
  
too shocking to Fiden and the Jem'Hadar as the Founder could go where  
  
it willed, but the sight of another humanoid with him, one with long,  
  
reddish brown hair and dressed in an unfamiliar gray uniform, was not  
  
something they would expect. Automatically, the Jem'Hadar readied their  
  
weapons, but any further action on their part was forestalled when the  
  
Founder raised a hand. "There's no need for concern. This one here is  
  
a friend." The Changeling turned to the unknown alien. "Isn't that  
  
right, Neflyte?"  
  
"Of course," the alien responded silkily. The Changeling turned  
  
back to the Jem'Hadar soldiers and smiled benevolently at them.  
  
Komentac'lan had been alive for nearly seven years, two of them  
  
serving as First for his unit. He was a veteran of countless campaigns  
  
in the service of the Founders and had battled on dozens of different  
  
worlds. But seeing the Founders's eyes gleam red made him, for the first  
  
time in his life, know fear.  
  
  
  
Jeddite grimaced as he stood before Queen Beryl. Yes, the monarch  
  
of the Negaverse was smiling, and yes, she was complimenting someone on  
  
a job well done. But she wasn't addressing him. Instead she was  
  
congratulating Neflyte on his capture of the Changeling and the Jem'Hadar  
  
soldiers. He glared once more at his rival General. It was only a  
  
matter of time before Queen Beryl turned her attention to his latest  
  
encounter with the Sailor Scouts. And given the way things went at that  
  
amusement park, she wasn't going to be pleased with the results.  
  
"...and now, Jeddite..."  
  
He shuddered inwardly at the false pleasantry in her tone. It was  
  
going to be worse than he feared.  
  
"Once again you've encountered the Sailor Scouts..." Her tone  
  
became icy. "... and failed miserably! Can you give me a reason I  
  
shouldn't destroy you at once?"  
  
Jeddite bowed low, striving to give the appearance of calm. "I  
  
apologize for my failings, Queen Beryl," he said, "But I do have a  
  
plan..." His mind raced as he strove to come up with a plan, ANY plan,  
  
that would appease the Negaverse monarch. "Which should result in the  
  
destruction of the Sailor Scouts."  
  
"Indeed," Beryl all but purred. "You have made such claims in the  
  
past. Why should this time be any different?"  
  
Jeddite saw a gloating look on Neflyte's face as Beryl spoke.  
  
Evidently the other General thought that whatever plan Jeddite came up  
  
with would be doomed to fail. How he wished he could just wipe the  
  
smile of his rival's face...  
  
Inspiration struck him like a thunderbolt. As calmly as he could  
  
he addressed Beryl, "Because this time we have the shapeshifter as an  
  
asset." Jeddite's statement drew a sharp look from Neflyte, pleasing him  
  
to no end. Evidently the other General had his own plans for the  
  
shapeshifter... plans which Jeddite had no qualms about upsetting.  
  
"I see." Queen Beryl regarded him coolly for several moments.  
  
"Tell me more Jeddite. If this plan has potential, you may yet redeem  
  
yourself."  
  
  
  
Pluto knew the instant she returned to the Gateway of Time that  
  
the situation had deteriorated. Things were far worse than when she  
  
had first feared. Of course there was no telling how long she had been  
  
gone. Time had little meaning here, and even less so where she had  
  
been.  
  
There was a burst of light accompanied by a ripple of sound, and a  
  
slightly balding man in a Starfleet captain's uniform appeared next to  
  
her. "I thought you weren't supposed to leave here."  
  
"That's not entirely true. I can leave it unguarded for short  
  
periods. Besides Q, the situation demanded it," she replied. She  
  
returned her gaze to the area surrounding the Gateway. "But I see that  
  
things have changed for the worse."  
  
"Yes, that's certainly true," the entity agreed, glancing around  
  
himself. Sighing he added, "Well, I tried to warn them. But trust  
  
Picard to be too stubborn to listen."  
  
"You've garnered a bad reputation among them, Q," said Pluto. "If  
  
you would be more civil with them, they might heed your warnings more  
  
often."  
  
"Moi? Civil?" Q looked shocked. "That's no fun." He shrugged  
  
after Pluto gave him a sardonic look. "Well, enough frivolity. You've  
  
a temporal tangle to unravel. I suppose you have a plan to fix your  
  
precious timestream."  
  
"You know I have," she replied. "And I've already spoken to others  
  
about putting it into motion. Besides... if I didn't you wouldn't be  
  
able to have anymore fun with Picard."  
  
"Hmmm..." Q considered this, then nodded. "You've got a point.  
  
What good is a universe without Jean-Luc to pester? Or Worf, for that  
  
matter." Then what Pluto had said sunk in, and the looked puzzled.  
  
"Wait a minute... others? Which others?"  
  
"The Bajorans call them the Prophets," she replied knowingly.  
  
Realization dawned on Q's face. "Oh, the wormhole dwellers. A  
  
rather boring bunch, if you ask me. All they do is hide out in that  
  
space-time conduit, not even bothering to understand linear time."  
  
"Q..." Pluto took a deep breath. While Q's nature was by very  
  
definition irritating, there were times when he could be most  
  
exasperating. "If you're not going to help, then I would appreciate it  
  
if you would keep your comments to yourself. The rift in time is  
  
threatening two universes right now, and I'm going to need all the help  
  
I can get to correct it."  
  
A hurt expression briefly flickered over the entity's face. "I'd  
  
help if I could. But you are well aware of the... restrictions my  
  
fellow Q have placed on me. Especially since they were placed on me  
  
after my thankfully brief stint as a human... which you played some  
  
part in."  
  
"I didn't have much choice in that, Q. You were becoming too wild,  
  
too out of control." Q snorted in response. "Q was right. You needed  
  
to learn restraint."  
  
"Well, I hope your pleased with the results," Q replied sullenly.  
  
"Before I could have helped rectify this situation with a wave of my  
  
hand. Now I'm forced to go along with the will of the Continuum: 'Those  
  
corporeal beings caused it, and they'll have to be the ones to repair  
  
it.'" He shot a scornful look skyward.  
  
Pluto stood contemplatively for a moment. "I'm afraid the end of  
  
this conversation will have to wait until later. Time," her lips curled  
  
upward slightly at the irony of her statement, "grows short. In the  
  
meantime, could you do me a favor and keep on eye on things here while  
  
I'm away?" Q nodded silently and with that, she vanished.  
  
Q watched the space where she had stood, his expression unreadable,  
  
then turned his attention to the temporal turmoil surrounding the  
  
Gateway. "Good luck, Pluto.  
  
"You're going to need it."  
  
  
  
  
  
Sailor Trek: Deep Space Nine  
  
A Sailor Paradox  
  
by Bill Harris  
  
(soton@aol.com)  
  
  
  
"I hate temporal mechanics..."  
  
-Chief Miles Edward O'Brien  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 1 - The Call of the Prophets...  
  
Kira looked up from her station in Ops to the captain's office,  
  
concern evident on her face. He had been in conference longer than she  
  
thought he would be. Perhaps...  
  
She shook her head and tried to focus on her duties. Sisko had  
  
shown many times that he was quite adept at handling... Her train of  
  
thought was broken by the door opening.  
  
"...the answer is still no!" Sisko was saying loudly as he left  
  
his office. Stormed out would be more like it.  
  
Quark followed him out. "Why not? Advertising is a perfectly  
  
legitimate business practice."  
  
"What would you know about legitimate business?" Kira remarked. A  
  
part of her absently noted Dax entering the room and making her way over  
  
to the station's Strategic Operations Officer, Worf.  
  
Sisko broke in before Quark could retort. "Those monitors are  
  
for official station use."  
  
The Ferengi raced around Sisko and stood in his path, forcing him  
  
to stop. "They won't interfere with the official functions. I'll only  
  
use the monitors in public places, such as the replimat, and then only  
  
during normal business hours." When Sisko shook his head and tried to  
  
move past him he added, "If they're needed, the advertisements can be  
  
overridden so the monitors can be used for 'official' functions."  
  
Behind her, Kira could hear Dax talking to Worf about the three  
  
Dominion ships that had mysteriously vanished from the Defiant's sensors  
  
during it's last patrol in the Gamma Quadrant, noting that it bore a  
  
resemblance to a phenomena witnessed by the Enterprise D, Worf's  
  
previous posting, some four years previous. Kira felt her indignation  
  
rising at the bartender for keeping her from hearing this information as  
  
soon as possible. Anything new that the Dominion could do would be a  
  
serious threat to the security of Bajor. And anything that threatened  
  
that was something she wanted to know about right away, not listen to  
  
some Ferengi toad ramble on about how he could increase his profits.  
  
Not that Quark needed to do much of anything to get her riled at  
  
him. The Ferengi bartender really knew how to be a royal pain in the...  
  
She skewered the bartender with an intense glare and snapped, "Which  
  
part of 'no' don't you understand?"  
  
"The part that says I can't do this!" Quark replied indignantly.  
  
Kira was forming a sharp retort but it died aborning when a sensor  
  
alert sounded behind her. Turning, she saw Dax looking up from her  
  
console with a worried expression. "Benjamin, I'm reading massive  
  
emissions of neutrinos, tetryons and chronotons from the wormhole. It  
  
looks like a subspace rift might be forming inside it." She bent back  
  
to the science station, intent on analyzing the readings it was giving  
  
her.  
  
"Let's see it, Chief. On screen," Sisko ordered. The viewer  
  
flickered to show the wormhole wide open and apparently staying that way.  
  
But in this instance it had a shimmering look to it, as if they were  
  
viewing it through a heat distortion. It's color was also different,  
  
for along with the normal blues and whites it was tinged with red, giving  
  
the wormhole a slightly demonic appearance.  
  
"It looks like it's... on fire," Kira remarked.  
  
"I'm reading gravimetric distortions from it as well," O'Brien  
  
reported.  
  
"Confirmed," Dax added. "It looks as if it's entering the first  
  
stages of a structural collapse. But I don't know what could be causing  
  
it."  
  
A look of concern came over Quark's face, "Collapse? That could  
  
really be bad for profits." At Sisko's glare he added, "I can see you're  
  
busy. We'll talk later." He headed rapidly to the lift, muttering to  
  
himself as he went.  
  
Sisko put the bartender from his mind and returned his attention to  
  
Dax. "Could this be caused artificially, Dax?"  
  
"You mean by something like the Dominion?" the Trill asked. "It's  
  
possible. But there's nothing on this side that could account for it,  
  
and the readings I'm getting from the Gamma Quadrant listening posts  
  
aren't indicating anything there either. Ultimately, I can't be sure  
  
what *is* the cause without doing a detailed scan of the inside. We'll  
  
have to launch a probe."  
  
"I wouldn't try it," O'Brien responded. "Those gravimetric  
  
distortions inside the wormhole that are strong enough to tear apart any  
  
probe we send in. A runabout might survive passage through it to the  
  
Gamma Quadrant... but I doubt it would make it back in one piece."  
  
Sisko eyed the ailing anomaly. If a probe or a runabout couldn't  
  
survive passage through the wormhole, that left only one option for them.  
  
"What about the Defiant, Chief?"  
  
O'Brien glanced at the sensor readouts again, mentally comparing  
  
them to his knowledge of the Defiant's structure. "I think so. But  
  
we'll probably have to run the structural integrity field at maximum,  
  
and we may have to supplement it with power from the warp engines. In  
  
any event, it's going to be a bumpy ride."  
  
"Then let's get moving people." Sisko walked over to the lift, and  
  
the other members of the command staff followed him. "Sisko to Odo.  
  
Meet us on the Defiant, Constable."  
  
  
  
Sisko glanced up as Odo made his way onto the bridge. "Welcome  
  
aboard, Constable. I hope we don't need your help, but if there's even  
  
the slightest possibility of Dominion involvement..."  
  
"...then you might need a Changeling along," Odo finished, making  
  
his way to the rear of the bridge. "I understand. I'm not sure how  
  
much help I can be, but I'll do whatever I can."  
  
"Thank you, Odo," Sisko said, taking a quick glance around the  
  
bridge. "Status, Chief?"  
  
"All systems ready," reported O'Brien.  
  
"Ops has given us clearance for departure, Captain," Kira added.  
  
"Release docking latches," ordered Sisko. "Take us out, old man."  
  
"Docking latches released," Dax confirmed. "Thrusters back one  
  
quarter." The station receded on the viewscreen as the Defiant backed  
  
slowly away from the station, slowing when it was one hundred meters  
  
off. "We're clear of the station, sir."  
  
"Set course for the wormhole, maximum impulse," the captain ordered.  
  
"Engage!"  
  
Dax's hands played quickly over the helm console and the small  
  
starship responded, spinning on it's axis and moving for the wormhole,  
  
accelerating rapidly as it entered the spatial anomaly. The ship  
  
buffeted as it moved through it, as the gravimetric distortions made for  
  
a much bumpier ride than usual. Sisko kept his attention on the  
  
viewscreen and tried to focus on the incoming reports from his crew,  
  
when suddenly...  
  
...it all vanished.  
  
  
  
"He is here."  
  
Sisko turned towards the source of the voice. He appeared to be in  
  
Ops on the station, and the person speaking seemed to be Kira. But he  
  
knew better from previous experience.  
  
He was speaking with the wormhole aliens. With the prophets.  
  
But why?  
  
Quark was standing in front of him also, nodding. "It is the Sisko."  
  
Sisko blinked as the scene suddenly shifted to the infirmary with  
  
Dr.Bashir. "She said he would come."  
  
"She?" he asked, puzzled. "Who is she? And why am I here?"  
  
Again he shifted locations, this time to the security office.  
  
"Time has shifted," Odo replied, apparently ignoring his first question  
  
for the moment. "What you call the past is now fluid. It threatens us."  
  
"I'm not sure I follow," Sisko said. "Are you saying that the  
  
wormhole is being destabilized in the past?"  
  
Suddenly he found himself standing on the Defiant. "He does not  
  
understand," Worf said.  
  
"He is linear," reminded Dax. "The anomaly does not appear to them  
  
as it does to us."  
  
"Anomaly?" Sisko echoed.  
  
Now he was standing in his quarters. "It is of your own creation,"  
  
Jake told him. "She needs your help to correct it."  
  
"Who is this person you keep referring to? And why?" Sisko  
  
suddenly found himself back in Ops.  
  
"That would be me," came a voice from behind him. "And they  
  
brought you here because I asked them to."  
  
Sisko turned to face the unfamiliar voice and stopped short. The  
  
wormhole aliens usually appear to be people he was familiar with, his  
  
co-workers on the station: Kira, Dax, Worf, Odo, Jake... even Quark.  
  
But he was completely unfamiliar with the person he was facing now,  
  
though there was something oddly familiar with her outfit. She was  
  
dressed in a odd version of a sailor outfit: white leotard, dark  
  
miniskirt, bows on the front and back... also dark colored. She was  
  
carrying a staff that faintly resembled a key of some sort.  
  
And her hair... long, dark colored as well, but tinged with green.  
  
Sisko didn't think he would easily forget someone with hair matching  
  
that description. "Who are you?"  
  
"I am Sailor Pluto," she answered. "We will meet again, Captain  
  
Sisko. Very soon."  
  
  
  
Sisko blinked, disoriented at suddenly finding himself back in his  
  
command chair, and tried to listen to the barrage of reports coming his  
  
way.  
  
Bashir was scanning the crew with his medical tricorder. "Is  
  
everyone alright? I felt dizzy for a second there."  
  
O'Brien chimed in, "There was a massive surge of chronoton radiation  
  
when we exited the wormhole."  
  
"We've lost communications with the station," reported Kira.  
  
Dax was doing a quick analysis of the navigational readouts.  
  
"According to the navigational sensors, we're nowhere near the Gamma  
  
Quadrant."  
  
"Where are we, Dax?" Sisko asked.  
  
"Earth," she answered, "We're in orbit. But..." She looked again  
  
at the sensor readout and shook her head. "Wait a minute... According  
  
to the astrometric sensors, the year... is 1992."  
  
Her sudden announcement stilled all activity on the bridge. After  
  
a moment, Sisko was able to find his voice. "1992? You mean to say  
  
we've traveled back in time, old man?"  
  
Dax swiveled her seat to face him, a sad smile on her face. "It  
  
certainly appears that way."  
  
"It... would explain the chronoton emissions," O'Brien hesitantly  
  
added.  
  
"Reverse course," Sisko ordered, without much hope. "See if you  
  
can take us back through the wormhole."  
  
"It wouldn't matter, Benjamin," said Dax, shaking her head. "It's  
  
vanished. It's as if it was never there."  
  
Sisko grimaced, but decided to confront that later. First he had  
  
to make sure that Earth of the past wouldn't be able to detect his ship.  
  
"Activate the cloak. I don't want anyone down there picking us up."  
  
The bridge lights dimmed as the cloaking field activated.  
  
  
  
Beryl stared in her crystal ball as the unknown starship faded from  
  
view, then cursed loudly. "Malachite!"  
  
The white haired general materialized nearby, "Yes, My Queen?"  
  
"A starship has been spotted near the anomaly. I want you to prepare  
  
the alien warriors and their space craft. If it reappears, or any other  
  
appears in the area, they are attack at once... and destroy them! We  
  
can't afford to have anything go wrong now. Not when we're so close!"  
  
Malachite bowed low. "As you wish, Your Majesty."  
  
  
  
"What the hell is going on?" asked a frustrated Kira.  
  
Sisko could certainly understand the Major's feelings. But unlike  
  
her, he did have some insight into who was behind the detour the wormhole  
  
had sent them on... though he was still in the dark as to the why.  
  
"Whatever it is Major, I think the Prophets wanted us to be here," he  
  
answered her. In short order, he told the crew of his experience during  
  
the wormhole passage. Worf and O'Brien exchanged uncertain looks as he  
  
described the meeting he had with 'Sailor Pluto'.  
  
"Sailor Pluto?" Worf asked after he finished. "Are you certain that  
  
is what she said, Captain?"  
  
Sisko spun his chair to face the Klingon. "You have an idea who she  
  
was, Commander?"  
  
"The description of her outfit sounds familiar, and the name  
  
certainly fits," O'Brien answered before Worf could. "But it doesn't  
  
match any of the Sailor Scouts we met on the Enterprise."  
  
"Sailor Scouts?" said Kira, her voice slightly disbelieving.  
  
"Sounds like some sort of kid's group."  
  
Worf scowled at her, clearly irritated. "You would not say that if  
  
you had seen them fight the Borg."  
  
This jogged Sisko's memory, as he noted the look of respect that  
  
was now on Kira's face. He recalled reading Picard's reports about the  
  
encounter the crew of the Enterprise D had with the Sailor Scouts, and  
  
the subsequent battle they had fought together against a Borg ship.  
  
However, he had been deeply immersed in the Defiant project at the time  
  
and had given the report only a cursory reading. "Dax, gather all the  
  
sensor information you can about the area. See if you can find any  
  
information about this anomaly the wormhole aliens referred to." Sisko  
  
spun his command chair around to face the two officers that had once  
  
served on the now destroyed Enterprise D. "Mr. Worf, Chief... I want  
  
you both to tell me all you can about these Sailor Scouts."  
  
  
  
Artemis paused before leaping onto Mina's bed. He hated to wake  
  
her, given the series of tough battles they had fought over the last two  
  
weeks since joining up with the others, but what choice had he? He  
  
placed a paw on her shoulder and shook the blonde. "Mina!"  
  
The result wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Instead of waking up  
  
and being instantly alert, she mumbled something incoherent and rolled  
  
over. Artemis was hardpressed to avoid being pinned under her arm. He  
  
took a moment to consider his options, then...  
  
"OW!!" Mina bolted upright, instinctively throwing away what had  
  
pained her. There was a muffled thud as Artemis hit the wall. "Artemis!  
  
What are you doing?!"  
  
The white feline slid to the floor and shook his head in an effort  
  
to clear it. "Waking you up. And without causing myself a mortal wound  
  
in the process." He took a moment to assess his own condition. "And it  
  
seems I was successful."  
  
"Don't bet on it," she growled, examining the finger that Artemis  
  
had bit. It was red, but the skin wasn't broken and the pain was already  
  
diminishing. "A bucket of cold water would've worked just as well, Artemis...  
  
And it would've been less painful."  
  
Despite the limitations of his feline form, Artemis did a fairly  
  
convincing imitation of raising one eyebrow. "And just how am I  
  
supposed to handle a bucket of water?"  
  
"Oh, right." After a moment she asked, "So what's so important?"  
  
"I just got word from Luna. She and Amy have located a portal to  
  
the Negaverse."  
  
"I see," she said. After mulling this over she added, "What do you  
  
think our chances are, Artemis?"  
  
"Are you kidding? You four will kick Beryl's butt," he answered  
  
more confidently than he felt.  
  
"That's a nice thought," Mina said with a smile. "Now, what do you  
  
think our chances really are?"  
  
Artemis sighed. He should've known by now that he couldn't fool  
  
her... at least not when it came to matters such as this. They'd been  
  
working together for too long. "I know it doesn't look good, Mina.  
  
After all, you'll probably be going up against both Malachite and Zoisite  
  
at the same time. But what choice do we have? We can't just sit here  
  
while Beryl unleashes the Negaforce."  
  
"Don't worry, Artemis. We'll find a way. We always do, right?" she  
  
answered, some optimism returning to her voice. Artemis nodded to  
  
himself, heartened by this. This was more like the Mina he knew.  
  
"Anyway, it's time to contact Raye and Lita."  
  
  
  
"JUPITER POWER!"  
  
The magic enveloped Lita, giving that feeling of power as it  
  
transformed her into Sailor Jupiter. She paused for a moment, savoring  
  
the sensation, then raced off to meet the others.  
  
A lot had happened since that fateful day she had become a Sailor  
  
Scout. Or realized that she was one, depending on how you looked at it.  
  
Either way, she had been following that boy (What was his name? So much  
  
had happened in the interim, she had forgotten it.) when Zoisite had  
  
attacked him, pulling the Rainbow crystal from him and transforming him  
  
that youma. Mars and Mercury had happened upon them at that point, but  
  
the battle had been evenly matched until Luna had given her the  
  
transformation pen, and she was able to become Sailor Jupiter.  
  
They still hadn't been able to save him, though... or any of the  
  
other carriers of the Rainbow Crystals, for that matter. Even with  
  
Neflyte's help, and with Tuxedo Mask cropping up again, they were only  
  
able to defeat the transformed humans by killing them. Jupiter vowed  
  
silently to make Zoisite pay for each and every one of them.  
  
And Malachite as well. He had set a trap for them a couple of  
  
weeks ago, one that had very nearly worked. Thank's to Venus' timely  
  
arrival, they had gotten away, but not before Darien had been captured...  
  
and Neflyte was killed.  
  
Jupiter pushed aside her thoughts, trying instead to focus on the  
  
task at hand as she raced on into the night.  
  
  
  
Raye calmly returned the communicator to it's usual hiding place  
  
and regarded the sacred flame. Given her abilities, she had felt that  
  
the pivotal battle with the Negaverse was fast approaching, but it had  
  
come much sooner than she had expected. She wasn't far from the  
  
rendezvous point, so she decided to take a chance she could glean  
  
something useful from it. Concentrating her attention on the flame, she  
  
tried to make it give her the information they would need to triumph,  
  
once and for all, over Beryl and her minions.  
  
At first the flame held steady, reluctant to give her what she  
  
needed. Then it yielded to her persistence, revealing what it could in  
  
a flurry of images. A spacecraft, compact yet seeming to radiate power.  
  
A black man, whose demeanor demanded respect. A woman in a red uniform  
  
and a seemingly crinkled nose, who seemed as confident as the man. A rush  
  
of other images in people in similar uniforms to the man, each seeming to  
  
be more or less human. It ended in a glimpse of a man, who's face seemed  
  
to be unfinished in some way and in a uniform that seemed similar to the  
  
woman's. She watched him for what seemed to be several seconds before  
  
his features blurred, shifting to some gelatinous state.  
  
Raye felt her hackles rise at this sight and a surge of adrenalin  
  
as well, causing the fire reading to be disrupted. But she allowed  
  
herself no regret at this, for the information that one of these  
  
creatures would be seen again was very valuable to her.  
  
'So, Beryl was going to use another one of those... things against  
  
us,' she thought while transforming. 'Well, it won't work. We'll handle  
  
whatever she throws at us.' She rushed out of the temple, making for  
  
the restaurant where she would meet the others. 'This time we'll be  
  
ready for that creature, Beryl. And we'll deal with that thing... and  
  
then you.'  
  
  
  
Amy stood just outside the darkened restaurant, waiting for the  
  
others. It shouldn't be much longer before they arrived. Once more she  
  
glanced at her computer, scanning for any sign of Negaverse activity. So  
  
far it appeared they had managed to go undetected, but that wouldn't last  
  
for long.  
  
She grimaced. They way things had gone lately, it wouldn't surprise  
  
her if Malachite appeared right in front of them the moment they entered  
  
the tunnel.  
  
"Amy?"  
  
Jumping slightly, the blue haired Scout looked down. "Yes, Luna?"  
  
"Are you OK?" the feline asked, concern evident in her voice.  
  
"I'm fine. I was just scanning to be sure we haven't been detected."  
  
"I don't think that was all. You seemed very concerned about  
  
something." Luna paused, trying to marshall her thought. "I know the  
  
situation looks grim, but..."  
  
"Thirty two point seven percent."  
  
Luna blinked, surprised. "What?"  
  
"Thirty two point seven percent," Amy repeated. "Those are our  
  
chances of winning. I've computed the odds."  
  
"Thirty two point..." Luna's voice trailed off. "Is that *all*?"  
  
"Do you want me to take you the whole series of calculations?" Amy  
  
asked.  
  
"No thank you," Luna replied. They were silent again, waiting for  
  
the others. Then, "Well, if it's that bad, then before we go, I should  
  
thank you."  
  
Amy looked down at her, mystified. "Thank me? For what?"  
  
"For taking me in. I know I could have stayed at Serena's, but I  
  
just could bear to go back there. Not after..." Luna's voice trailed  
  
of again, this time choked with emotion.  
  
"I know," Amy said gently. "I miss her too."  
  
Further discussion was interrupted by Jupiter's arrival, followed  
  
shortly by Venus. "Sorry I took so long," Jupiter said.  
  
"Actually, you got here sooner than I expected," Amy replied,  
  
pulling out her transformation pen. "MERCURY POWER!"  
  
"Well, as soon as Raye gets here, we can get going," Venus said  
  
after Amy had finished transforming into Sailor Mercury. She looked  
  
around, puzzled. "I wonder what's taking her so long? She lives closer  
  
to here than me, so I'd thought she'd be here already."  
  
"I'm not that late," Mars answered rather testily, coming up behind  
  
the blonde. "I just took a moment for a last minute fire reading."  
  
"Did you get anything useful out of it?" asked Artemis.  
  
"I'm not sure. I got a series of images, but I'm not sure how to  
  
interpret them. The only thing I really recognized a shapeshifter."  
  
"You mean...?" Mercury breathed.  
  
Mars nodded. "Yep. I think we'll be facing another one of those,  
  
Mercury."  
  
Jupiter and Venus shared a look. Neither had been around when the  
  
other two had faced the creature Mars had described, but they had heard  
  
enough about it from them to know just how dangerous it could be. "We'll  
  
just have to keep our eyes open," Venus said. "Let's get going, people.  
  
Next stop: the Negaverse!"  
  
  
  
"You're right, Chief," Sisko said, examining again the visual record  
  
of the Sailor Scouts taken from logs of the Enterprise D. The faces were  
  
blurred in some fashion, but their outfits on the other hand were clearly  
  
distinguishable. Another visual record was shown beside it, this one of  
  
the Scouts in untransformed state in Ten Forward, giving a clear look at  
  
their faces. "Whoever I saw during the wormhole passage, she wasn't one  
  
of these Scouts. But from her name and style of dress, she must have some  
  
association with them."  
  
"As I remember, they did mention meeting a Sailor Pluto," said Worf.  
  
"Though I never did see a visual record of her. Had she not given you  
  
her name, my best guess would have been that she was a Sailor Scout  
  
representing one of the outer planets of the solar system... Saturn,  
  
Uranus, Neptune... or Pluto."  
  
"Why not one for Earth?" asked Sisko. "There's no mention of a  
  
Sailor Scout for that planet."  
  
"I asked Luna about that during her stay on the Enterprise,"  
  
replied the Klingon.  
  
"That's the black feline?" Sisko asked, indicating the display.  
  
"Yes, sir. For whatever reason, there was no Sailor Scout for  
  
Earth, though Darien, also known as Tuxedo Mask, could be considered the  
  
representative of Earth."  
  
Sisko nodded, and moved back towards the center of the bridge.  
  
"Anything new, Dax?"  
  
"Plenty," she replied. "Though, I'm not sure if it's related to  
  
our situation... or what any of it means. We're reading the buildup of  
  
a large negative energy field centered in the arctic regions." The Trill  
  
touched a control and a graphic appeared on the main viewscreen,  
  
detailing the energy field she had mentioned. "It's causing massive  
  
disruption throughout the system; earthquakes, unusual weather, even  
  
accelerated sunspot activity."  
  
O'Brien had been watching from his engineering station while Dax  
  
was gave her report. He took a moment to access the computer then said,  
  
"It sounds like the conditions just before the Sailor Scouts had their  
  
final confrontation with Queen Beryl."  
  
"If that's the case, then it's probably not the anomaly the  
  
Prophets were referring to," Dax said.  
  
"How do you know that, Chief?" Sisko asked.  
  
"When they were on the Enterprise, Mercury downloaded a record of  
  
their activities into the Enterprise main computer. As a precaution  
  
against accidental interference with their timeline from other starships."  
  
The Chief touch a control, bringing up another graphic on the main  
  
viewscreen beside the one Dax had displayed. Sisko noted that it was  
  
similar, though not identical to the one already displayed. "I've  
  
extrapolated this from those records. The energy field Dax has scanned  
  
is almost exactly like these conditions observed just before Beryl tried  
  
to release the Negaforce. Except..."  
  
"Except what?"  
  
A look of frustration came across O'Brien's face. "It's too bloody  
  
soon! It's nearly a month till the Scouts go to the North Pole. That  
  
energy field shouldn't be anywhere near as powerful as it is."  
  
"Could this be some sort of alternate universe, Chief?" Dax asked.  
  
O'Brien shook his head. "No, I already checked that. The quantum  
  
signature of this universe matches the one visited by the Enterprise...  
  
Both of them, in fact. It's the same universe alright."  
  
"Could our presence have caused a disruption on the timeline?"  
  
Sisko asked.  
  
"I don't see how, " Dax answered. "We were only visible for a few  
  
moments." A sensor alert sounded, prompting her to forgo any further  
  
speculation. "Hold on a minute, Benjamin. Sensors are picking up life  
  
forms in the arctic regions, near the source of the energy field." She  
  
paused to check the readout on the type of lifeform detected. When she  
  
spoke next, her voice sounded stunned, "They're Jem'Hadar."  
  
"Jem'Hadar?" Bashir exclaimed. "What are they doing on Earth?  
  
Especially on an alternate version of it."  
  
"That's a good question, Doctor," Sisko answered. "One that I'd  
  
like an answer to."  
  
"It's an answer that might have to wait, Captain," Odo said. The  
  
Constable had occupied a station on the far side of the bridge and was  
  
monitoring communications. "We're picking up a subspace signal... and  
  
it sounds like a distress call." Odo touched a control and the signal  
  
came over the bridge speakers, heavily laced with static.  
  
"...Mayday... under attack.... This is the USS... immediate  
  
assistance..." the signal terminated abruptly.  
  
"The signal source is just on the other side of Earth, sir. Not  
  
far from the Moon," O'Brien reported.  
  
Sisko quickly considered his options. The appearance of the  
  
Jem'Hadar on Earth still needed to be checked out, but he also had a  
  
responsibility to answer that distress call. As much as he hated to do  
  
it, he saw no other option but to split his forces. "Major, take an away  
  
team down there. Be ready to handle a Jem'Hadar strike force. I'll be  
  
taking the Defiant to check out this distress call, so you'll be on your  
  
own for a while."  
  
Kira nodded. "We'll be ready."  
  
  
  
"There's an exit up ahead!" Luna exclaimed.  
  
"About time," Venus grumbled. "I was beginning to think they would  
  
never end." The others nodded in agreement. They had been following  
  
the tunnels for what seemed like hours, but it looked like they had  
  
finally managed to find the exit. The four girls and two cats stood  
  
breathlessly at the mouth of the tunnel and looked out over the arctic  
  
expanse.  
  
"Hey, what gives? I though this was supposed to go right to the  
  
Negaverse," asked Jupiter. Mercury frowned and activated her visor.  
  
"Maybe we took a wrong turn?"  
  
Venus scowled at her feline companion. "There's nothing wrong with my  
  
sense of direction!"  
  
"I didn't say there was," Artemis replied defensively.  
  
"Never mind that you two," Luna said. "We have to hurry. If we  
  
can get the Rainbow crystals before the Negaverse can use them to form the  
  
Silver Crystal, we may still have a chance."  
  
Artemis snorted. "If they haven't figured out how to form it by  
  
now, I don't think they ever will."  
  
"Can we afford to take that chance?"  
  
The white cat grimaced. "Not really. Especially when they're about  
  
to set the Negaforce loose."  
  
"I'm getting a signal," Mercury said. "There's another portal,  
  
much bigger than the one we found in Tokyo. It's that way!" She  
  
pointed across the ice field.  
  
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" With that Venus charged  
  
forward, followed shortly by her companions.  
  
  
  
Next time: The Defiant checks out the distress call, the Scouts battle  
  
the Jem'Hadar and Kira meets up with the Scouts. Plus the Great Zoisite  
  
Gender Debate in Chapter 2, "D Point Revisited".  
  
  
  
Notes: Quark's advertising scheme is a lead in to the trick he pulled in  
  
the beginning of a late fourth season episode, "The Quickening".  
  
  
  
Bill Harris  
  
Go Orioles!!! Umm... maybe next year?  
  
Sci-Fi quote of the month:  
  
"And then we'll make the Dominion sorry they ever set foot in the Alpha  
  
Quadrant!"  
  
"Cadet, you took the words right out of my mouth." - Nog & Sisko in DS9's "Call  
  
to Arms" 


	2. Chapter 2 - D Point Revisited

Sailor Trek: Deep Space 9  
  
  
  
"Time for a less subtle approach"  
  
-Major Kira Nerys  
  
Chapter 2 - D Point Revisited  
  
Sisko tapped a finger impatiently on the arm of his chair as he  
  
waited for confirmation that Kira and her team were safely away. After  
  
what seemed like an eternity, there was a beep from the engineering  
  
station. "Transport complete, sir," O'Brien reported.  
  
'Finally,' Sisko though as he straightened himself in the command  
  
chair, instinctively tugging at the bottom of his shirt. He looked to  
  
the helm station in front of him where Bashir had taken Dax's place.  
  
The doctor looked slightly uncomfortable there, but Sisko knew he would  
  
substitute there admirably, as he had done so in the past. "Doctor, lay  
  
in a course for that distress signal and engage at maximum impulse."  
  
"Aye, sir," Bashir answered and began working the helm. Responding  
  
to the his commands, the Defiant accelerated around Earth and headed for  
  
the Moon.  
  
As soon as they cleared the planet, O'Brien began scanning the  
  
location they had for the distress call. "Looks like we're too late,"  
  
he reported. "I'm reading debris and an expanding cloud of ionized  
  
plasma at the signal location." He shook his head sadly. "It looks  
  
like their warp core was breached. From the energy decay, I'd say it  
  
blew just about the time we lost the signal."  
  
"Any life signs, Chief?"  
  
"No, sir. Whoever it was, it looks like she was lost with all  
  
hands." O'Brien shook his head sadly, observing, "The poor devils never  
  
had a chance."  
  
Sisko frowned, but tried to put aside any other feelings. There  
  
may be nothing he could do for the other crew, but he still had to be  
  
sure that his own was safe. "Any sign of their attackers?"  
  
O'Brien checked the sensors again. "Nothing. But the plasma  
  
field could be interfering with the sensors. But I am picking up the  
  
signal from the log buoy."  
  
"Very well," said Sisko. "Maneuver us closer so that we can beam  
  
it aboard. At least we'll be able to find out who they were... and who  
  
attacked them. Maintain cloak, and put all decks on yellow alert."  
  
"Hold it!"  
  
Venus stopped in her tracks and looked back to her friend. "What  
  
is it, Mercury?"  
  
The other girl had her visor deployed and was looking around the  
  
area. "I'm detecting several lifeforms closing in on us."  
  
Jupiter tensed herself for a fight and glanced around, as did the  
  
others. They were on a relatively flat part of the icepack, and there  
  
was very little an enemy could use for concealment out to a distance of  
  
fifty meters. Nevertheless, she saw nothing around. "Are you sure? I  
  
don't see anything."  
  
"They're there," Mercury insisted. She brought her computer out,  
  
using it to supplement the visor. "But for some reason I can't get an  
  
accurate reading on their distance from us. My best guess is that  
  
they're no more than twenty meters away. One... maybe two dozen in all."  
  
They all looked about the area, trying to spot what it was Mercury  
  
had detected. "I still don't see anything," Jupiter remarked.  
  
"I don't see them, but I can sense them around us," Mars said.  
  
"They must be invisible."  
  
"Yes," Mercury concurred. "They've got some sort of field about  
  
them, serving as camouflage. And it's preventing me from getting an  
  
accurate scan on them."  
  
"Luna, Artemis, get to cover," Venus ordered. "Everyone else, get  
  
back to back." The two cats moved quickly, while the Scouts formed a  
  
defensive square.  
  
"Ten meters," Mercury said, just as the first of the Jem'Hadar  
  
uncloaked himself and fired, followed by several others. The Scouts  
  
scattered to avoid their weapons fire. The next moment, the area echoed  
  
with their attack cries.  
  
Kira took in the area surrounding the away team's beam down point,  
  
thankful for the cold weather gear they were wearing. That she, Dax and  
  
Worf were wearing, she mentally corrected herself. Odo of course had no  
  
need for such protection against the climate, thanks to his unique  
  
physiology. Again she dubiously eyed the black hole in the icefield.  
  
"That's a portal to another universe?"  
  
"More like another dimension, one that's slightly offset from this  
  
one," Dax corrected her while operating a tricorder. The Trill science  
  
officer was studiously scanning the area, while Kira and Worf were on  
  
the watch for possible threats with phasers drawn. Odo was on the look  
  
out as well, but had no weapon. "And from these readings, I'd say that  
  
it was artificially formed centuries... no, millennia ago."  
  
Kira nodded, somewhat impressed. "The portal? Impressive, but  
  
we've seen things like this before."  
  
"No, not the portal," Dax replied. "The other dimension."  
  
"What?" Kira found that hard to swallow. She could believe that  
  
the Celestial Temple -- the wormhole -- was artificial in nature, but  
  
that something could create a whole other reality? That was something  
  
else altogether.  
  
A rumble of what sounded like thunder in the distance brought her  
  
back to the present. Dax made some quick adjustments on her tricorder,  
  
broadening the field of it's scan. "I'm picking up large energy  
  
discharges, along with what appears to be weapons fire. Range: just  
  
over one kilometer."  
  
Worf nodded. "The Sailor Scouts," he announced. "No doubt they  
  
are battling the Jem'Hadar we spotted from orbit."  
  
"The weapons signature does appear to be typical of Jem'Hadar  
  
armaments," Dax confirmed.  
  
"Then let's go," Kira said firmly. "They're going to need our  
  
help against the Jem'Hadar. Odo, scout ahead."  
  
"Right, Major." The changeling shifted his form into that of a  
  
Corvallian snow hawk and flew off. The others followed along the  
  
icepack as fast as they were able.  
  
"I do not believe that the Scouts will require our assistance,  
  
Major," Worf commented.  
  
"I hope you're right, Worf."  
  
"I am," the Klingon responded confidently. Silence came over the  
  
three of them as they concentrated on making their way to the sight of  
  
the battle. Again and again, the sounds of thunder punctuated the  
  
silence, though the time between rumbles was becoming longer as they  
  
approached. No doubt because the number of Jem'Hadar standing was  
  
getting fewer, Worf speculated.  
  
"They should be just over this rise," Dax said, still operating  
  
her tricorder. "Just over one hundred met... Wait a minute!" Dax ran  
  
a rapid sequence of commands into the instrument as she tried to make  
  
sense of the data it was spewing out. "There's some sort of spatial  
  
anomaly forming."  
  
"My, my, what have we here?" The three spun around to face the  
  
source of the voice, which materialized amid a swirl of cherry blossoms  
  
into a blonde humanoid in a gray uniform, hovering impossibly three  
  
meters above them. "You three are certainly out of place."  
  
"Zoisite," Worf muttered answering the unspoken question.  
  
"Have we met?" Zoisite asked. "I doubt it, since it appears that  
  
at least two of you aren't from this planet. Especially the ugly one  
  
over there," she said, indicating Worf. The Klingon snarled at her, but  
  
it was Dax who responded verbally.  
  
"You're hardly one to talk, lady... if that's what you really are."  
  
"What?!" Zoisite all but screeched.  
  
"You heard me. For a female impersonator, you leave alot to be  
  
desired." This caused Zoisite to clench her teeth, and she started  
  
turning a dark shade of red. Kira gave Dax an odd look, but was careful  
  
to keep an eye on the Negaverse general.  
  
"What are you talking about, Dax?"  
  
"Can't you tell?" the Trill asked. "I've seen alot of females in  
  
three hundred years, and that hardly qualifies."  
  
Kira looked back to Zoisite. "Seems reasonably female to me."  
  
Dax shook her head. "Worf?"  
  
"I have no opinion on the subject."  
  
"Give me a break you two," Dax said. "If that's supposed to  
  
be a female, then she's lacking in... certain areas."  
  
Zoisite glowered at them and snarled in rage. "Why you... you...  
  
you'll pay for that! ZOI!!!" She flung her hand in their direction,  
  
sending dozens of crystal shards flying at them. The three officers  
  
dodged the incoming blast, each heading in a separate direction.  
  
Drawing on reflexes honed by years in the Bajoran resistance, Kira  
  
rolled on the ground, then aimed and fired her phaser in one smooth  
  
motion. The energy beam caught Zoisite full on, and she reeled from  
  
the blast. Worf and Dax quickly followed with phaser shots of their  
  
own. The Negaverse general staggered under the impact of multiple phaser  
  
hits, then vanished in much the same way she had appeared.  
  
"That was easy," Dax observed.  
  
"Easy?" Kira exclaimed. "Our phasers were at setting eight. That  
  
should've killed her!"  
  
"Mine was at sixteen," Worf said, drawing a stunned look from the  
  
other two.  
  
"Sixteen!" Kira shook her head. A phaser at that high a setting  
  
was capable of vaporizing several cubic meters of rock.  
  
"We were fortunate that we were able to surprise her," Worf said.  
  
"We should not count on being able to do so again. Next time she'll be  
  
ready for our weapons."  
  
Kira nodded. "Let's get out of here. If she teleported to where  
  
the Sailor Scouts are fighting the Jem'Hadar, Odo's going to need help.  
  
A lot of help." They took off in a run, all thoughts of how cold it  
  
was forgotten.  
  
Sisko watched the debris field slowly move past on the viewscreen  
  
as the Defiant crept through it. He turned impatiently to O'Brien.  
  
"Well, Chief?"  
  
The chief looked apologetically back at him. "Sorry, sir. It's  
  
hard to get a lock on the buoy in this plasma field. And being cloaked  
  
doesn't make it any easier." He broke off as a sensor chimed at him  
  
and he uttered an old Irish curse. "I was afraid of this. The plasma  
  
field is interfering with the cloaking device. We're going to have to  
  
shut it down before it overloads."  
  
Sisko briefly pondered the situation. While decloaking would leave  
  
them open to attack, by the same token it would also enable to respond  
  
that much faster to an aggressor. "Very well. Deactivate the cloak."  
  
The lights in the room brightened as the cloaking device was shut down.  
  
After a moment, O'Brien nodded in satisfaction. "Got it. Beaming  
  
it aboard now."  
  
"Good. Helm, take us out of this plasma field. I want to be able  
  
to recloak as soon as possible."  
  
"Aye, sir," Bashir responded.  
  
Sisko turned to the engineer. "Chief, are there any indications  
  
what type of ship this used to be?"  
  
O'Brien took a moment to analyze the debris around them. "From the  
  
materials present, it looks like the outer hull was composed of a  
  
tritanium alloy... it was a definitely Starfleet ship of some sort."  
  
Alarm bells began going off in Sisko's head. He had a bad feeling he knew  
  
what the identity of the other ship was. "Say something about the size of  
  
a Miranda class... or maybe a Constellation class. Definitely too small  
  
for an Excelsior type. I'm running an energy decay match now to see if I  
  
can identify the weapons the attacker used." He swore softly once more  
  
when the results appeared on the monitor. He was somewhat expecting the  
  
results, but seeing it confirmed was something else altogether. "It  
  
looks like the attackers were using a phased polaron beam."  
  
Sisko nodded. "The Dominion." Given the fact that they had  
  
detected Jem'Hadar life signs on Earth, this didn't come as much of a  
  
surprise to Sisko, nor to anyone else on the bridge. But it did serve  
  
to complicate matters.  
  
"Yes sir," the Chief responded. As if on cue, another sensor alert  
  
sounded at the tactical station.  
  
The tactical officer looked to her captain. "Sir, we've just  
  
detected two Jem'Hadar attack ships on an intercept course. They must  
  
have been on the other side of the plasma field when we approached."  
  
"Battle stations," Sisko said automatically. Around them the alert  
  
lights flashed, supplemented by the warning klaxon. "Chief, can we  
  
recloak before they reach us?"  
  
"No, sir," replied the engineer. "They'll intercept us just before  
  
we can clear the plasma field."  
  
Sisko frowned, even though he had been expecting that as an answer.  
  
"Then we'll make a stand here. Head right for them, full impulse." The  
  
Defiant shot forward as the overpowered impulse engines kicked into high  
  
gear. The small starship turned towards the Jem'Hadar ships, twisting  
  
in response to Bashir's commands to evade incoming fire. "Lock phasers on  
  
the lead ship. Fire!" Several bursts were fired from the pulse phasers,  
  
striking the lead Jem'Hadar ship. The first few were absorbed by the  
  
shields, but the next penetrated and ruptured the hull. The Dominion  
  
vessel became a large ball of expanding gas.  
  
The bridge shook and several panels showered sparks as the  
  
remaining vessel fired shot after shot at the Defiant. As always the  
  
Dominion weaponry cut right through their shields, impacting directly on  
  
the ship's hull. "Evasive, pattern delta!" Sisko ordered. As Bashir  
  
endeavored to comply, he continued, "Damage report!"  
  
"The ablative armor's down thirty percent," responded O'Brien,  
  
raising his voice over the din. "And we've got a ruptured plasma conduit  
  
on deck three."  
  
"Helm, hard about," Sisko ordered. "Take us back through the  
  
plasma field, maximum impulse." The Defiant executed a tight turn, and  
  
sped back through the wall of energized gas. The Jem'Hadar vessel  
  
followed, still firing.  
  
The viewscreen started to flicker. "Sir, at this speed, we'll lose  
  
sensors momentarily," O'Brien stated, trying to warn his captain. "We'll  
  
be blind as a Tiberian bat."  
  
Sisko nodded "And so will they. *After* we pass through," he  
  
responded. O'Brien grinned as he comprehended what the captain was  
  
planning just before the viewscreen became a haze of static as the  
  
interference became too much for the computer to compensate for.  
  
"Doctor, once we're clear of the plasma field, bring us hard about and  
  
to a full stop. Stand by quantum torpedoes."  
  
At Bashir's urgings, the Defiant executed another tight turn and  
  
stopped. The Jem'Hadar ship, blind for the moment, continued on their  
  
previous heading.  
  
"Fire!" Sisko ordered.  
  
Two quantum torpedoes were launched and sped at the enemy ship.  
  
Detecting the incoming fire at the last minute, it attempted to evade  
  
the incoming fire but it was far too late react. The weapons struck  
  
home, and the Dominion ship exploded.  
  
Sisko felt a grim feeling of satisfaction and looked to his  
  
engineering officer. "Is the cloaking device operational?"  
  
"Yes, sir," O'Brien responded after making a quick check.  
  
"Good. Activate the cloak and take us a position where we can be  
  
ready to beam the away team back." The Earth grew quickly larger on  
  
the screen as Bashir made the necessary course adjustments. "Chief, as  
  
soon as repairs are complete, I want you to start the analysis on that  
  
log buoy."  
  
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH" Venus cried out, unleashing her attack  
  
for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last few minutes, and the  
  
Jem'Hadar she was aiming at dropped. All around the Scouts, bodies of  
  
the warriors of the Dominion were strewn about, numbering nearly two  
  
dozen in all. Only one other remained standing, and he took aim at  
  
Jupiter and fired.  
  
The tall Scout ducked and dodged to her right, avoiding this energy  
  
blast as she had all the others. The smell of ozone was discernable as  
  
she called upon her powers, "JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!" Her aim was true  
  
and the last Jem'Hadar fell.  
  
They stood there, trying to catch their breath while looking about  
  
for any other enemies. Seeing that the area was clear for now, the two  
  
cats came out of cover. "Are you OK, Mars?" Artemis asked. They all  
  
had minor injuries of a sort, mostly from the Jem'Hadar's fists, but  
  
Mars had been hit in the shoulder by a weapon discharge.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not that..." Her voice began a hiss of pain  
  
as Mercury gently probed the wound.  
  
"Sure you are," the blue haired Scout said, "I barely touched it.  
  
Now keep still while I try to staunch the bleeding." Mars nodded, and  
  
Mercury concentrated on the wound while the others stood guard. She  
  
noted with relief that no major arteries had been hit, but it was still  
  
bleeding freely. A part of her wondered at that, since an energy weapon  
  
like that should cauterize the wound. Thrusting that back to the back of  
  
her mind, she concentrated on forming a makeshift bandage. Fortunately  
  
with all the bodies lying around, there was no shortage of material to  
  
form one, presuming that the uniforms were reasonably clean. A quick  
  
scan showed that was indeed the case and she tore several strips from  
  
one.  
  
Mars tried to keep still to allow Mercury to finish, but it wasn't  
  
easy with the injury throbbing as it was. But Mercury made good progress,  
  
and she was nearly done when Mars felt a warning buzz inside her head.  
  
Snapping her head about, she alerted the others, "Something's coming!"  
  
Malachite materialized within seconds of her alarm, but he seemed to  
  
take no notice of the Scouts. Instead he was gazing about at the fallen  
  
Jem'Hadar. "Pity. I'd have thought they'd do better than this."  
  
"Wrong again, bleachhead," Mars hissed, as Mercury quickly tied off  
  
the bandage. "You're next!"  
  
The white haired General turned and regard the four Scouts  
  
stoically. "I think not."  
  
"Let's get him, Jupiter!" Venus cried. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM..."  
  
"JUPITER THUNDER..."  
  
"SMASH!"  
  
"CRASH!"  
  
The two attacks combine into one, heading straight at Malachite.  
  
He regarded the incoming fire with an arrogant sneer on his face. One  
  
that was justified as it ricocheted off his forcefield.  
  
Mars moved to bring her own powers to bear on the Negaverse General,  
  
but something impacted her from the side, knocking her down. "What  
  
the...?" She looked over at what had hit her and was surprised to see a  
  
large bird beside her with one of Zoisite's crystal knives embedded in  
  
it's wing.  
  
"Stupid bird!" she heard Zoisite curse. "You ruined my shot..."  
  
Zoisite's voice trailed off in confusion, and the battle froze  
  
momentarily as everyone got a look at what amazed her.  
  
The 'bird' had become a large gelatinous mass and shifted form,  
  
eventually becoming a humanoid male dressed in a brown uniform. "My  
  
pleasure," he said calmly, dropping the crystal shard to the ice.  
  
Mars' tried to keep her jaw from dropping. The man was the  
  
shapeshifter she had seen in her vision.  
  
For her part, Zoisite was shaking with rage. First there was those  
  
three aliens that had humiliated her and forced her to withdraw. Now  
  
this shapeshifter had appeared out of nowhere, ruining a perfectly good  
  
ambush shot she had on Mars. "Enjoy it while you can, shapeshifter. It's  
  
the last one you'll ever have. ZOI!" Odo automatically relaxed his body  
  
back into it's natural gelatinous state again, but the force of the blast  
  
was still enough to hurl him backwards several meters, slamming him deep  
  
into a snowbank. Zoisite grinned and laughed aloud. "Well, I guess  
  
that put him on ice."  
  
"And I can do the same for you!" a voice cried from below and behind  
  
her. Zoisite spun around just as it cried out, "MERCURY ICE BUBBLES...  
  
FREEZE!" A wave of supercold energy gripped Zoisite and she grimaced in  
  
pain. Ordinarily she could withstand an attack such as this, but she was  
  
still weakened by the alien's energy weapons. Her only recourse was to  
  
flee. A swirl of cherry blossoms surrounded her as she prepared to  
  
teleport away.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" Mars growled. "MARS FIREBIRD... STRIKE!" The  
  
bird of flame enveloped the Negaverse General, the fierce heat it  
  
generated overwhelming her defenses and she screamed in agony.  
  
It was a short lived scream.  
  
"ZOISITE!" Malachite spun in her direction, but it was already far  
  
too late. All that remained of Zoisite was a puff of ash blowing in the  
  
wind. "You'll pay for that!" he roared. Flinging his arms wide, he fired  
  
two powerful energy blasts at the nearest Scouts to him; Sailor Venus and  
  
Sailor Jupiter. The two Scouts were slammed into the icepack, and lay  
  
unmoving.  
  
"MINA!" With a howl of pain, Artemis unthinkingly hurled himself  
  
at Malachite. The Negaverse general snarled and mercilessly blasted the  
  
white cat. Artemis fell onto the ground beside Venus.  
  
"NO!" Mars hurled a powerful bolt of fire at Malachite, but it  
  
simply splashed off his forcefield, as did Mercury's ice blast.  
  
"Two down, two to go. Goodbye, Sailor Scouts!" Malachite gathered  
  
up the energy for a final blast. But before he could do so, the ice  
  
beneath him began shaking. Suddenly, the ground split open, and a rock  
  
emerged. It shot forward and landed atop Malachite, forcing the General  
  
to the ground. Odo shifted forms again, morphing from a Horta back to  
  
his normal humanoid appearance. However, he kept his arms gelatinous,  
  
wrapping them around Malachite.  
  
"It seems Neflyte must have lied, when he said there was only  
  
one shapeshifter," Malachite said in a almost conversational tone.  
  
"You've seen others like me? And who's Neflyte?" Odo demanded.  
  
"I'll send you to meet him," Malachite flatly replied, sending a  
  
charge of energy into Odo, staggering him and forcing him to release  
  
his hold on the General. Malachite raised his arms and send another  
  
blast into Odo, this time catching the Constable full on. Odo went  
  
flying once more and ended up crashing into Mars and Mercury.  
  
Malachite slowly picked himself off the ice, eyes blazing with anger.  
  
"Now you die, Sailor Scouts." He was about to unleash a barrage at  
  
them when a hand grabbed his wrist.  
  
"Wrong," Jupiter said weakly. A tingling of ozone was percievable  
  
as she summoned all of her power, "JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!" The tall  
  
Scout and the General both screamed as the energy of Jupiter's attack  
  
raced through him, while she was caught in the backlash of her own powers.  
  
Jupiter fell to the ground unconscious, while Malachite dropped to his  
  
knees, obviously staggered.  
  
"Lita!" Mars struggled to free herself from Odo, as did Mercury,  
  
but it was like trying to wade out of a pool of molasses and it didn't  
  
help matters that Odo was trying to collect himself both literally and  
  
figuratively. If she could get loose before Malachite could recover,  
  
she'd have a chance to take him out of the fight.  
  
All too soon, however, Malachite recovered, getting shakily to his  
  
feet. He glared down at the fallen Jupiter. "Nice try, girl," he rasped,  
  
"but not good enough."  
  
"If at first you don't succeed, blast the bad guy again." Malachite  
  
turned to the source of the voice and was surprise to find Venus standing  
  
next to him, her index finger pointed at his head.  
  
Mina struggled to stay on her feet and conscious. The pain from her  
  
injuries was nearly overwhelming, but she felt she had enough left in her  
  
for one good shot. One good enough to take out Malachite, she hoped,  
  
because she wasn't going to of help to Mars and Mercury for much longer.  
  
She had to finish him here and now, to give them a chance to get at Beryl.  
  
Nothing else mattered.  
  
Venus leaned forward before Malachite could react, touching the tip  
  
of her index finger to his forehead. "Hasta la vista, pretty boy!  
  
VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!"  
  
The backflare from her attack blinded those watching for a second,  
  
but when it cleared they only saw Venus sprawled on the ground. No  
  
trace of Malachite remained, except for a wisp of dust.  
  
Mercury struggled to her feet, helped in part by the fact that Odo  
  
was finally able to reform himself. But before she could move to either  
  
of the two injured Scouts, a woman she had never seen before ran up to  
  
them and knelt down.  
  
Mars watched intently as Dax began utilizing her tricorder. "What's  
  
she doing?"  
  
"I think she's scanning them. But I've never seen a device like  
  
that before."  
  
Mars had further questions, but they were quickly forgotten as she  
  
noticed two other new arrivals. Both had features which denoted them  
  
as not human, but that wasn't what startled her. Each of them, including  
  
the shapeshifter and the woman attending Venus and Jupiter, had appeared  
  
in her last fire reading. But what did it mean? Were they allies? Or  
  
new enemies?  
  
Kira helped Odo to his feet. "Are you OK, Odo?"  
  
The Constable nodded. "A little shaken, but otherwise I'm fine,  
  
Major. The... opposition was a little tougher than I had anticipated."  
  
"Zoicite?" Kira asked.  
  
"And Malachite," Odo confirmed. "Ultimately, these two dealt with  
  
her, while they," he indicated the injured Scouts, "where able to  
  
dispatch him." Kira nodded, but what she was going to say died in her  
  
throat as she got her first good look around the battlefield and at the  
  
bodies of two dozen Jem'Hadar lying amidst the ice and snow.  
  
Worf noticed the look of astonishment on her face. "Do you still  
  
think they need our help against the Jem'Hadar, Major?"  
  
"Kira!" Dax called out before she could respond. Kira turned and  
  
saw Dax picking up an unconscious cat. She had taken off her jacket,  
  
using it in an attempt to keep the injured Venus warm. "These two are  
  
badly injured. If they're going to have any chance, we've got to get  
  
them to the Defiant." She shivered, adding, "And before I freeze to  
  
death."  
  
"Go," Kira ordered.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Mars exclaimed. "Go where?"  
  
"We've got a starship in orbit," Dax tried to explain, then  
  
shrugged. "It's a long story, and they don't have the time for it.."  
  
Tapping on her comm badge, "Dax to Defiant."  
  
"Go ahead," Sisko's voice responded.  
  
"Medical emergency. Four to beam directly to the medical bay."  
  
A second later, a blue-white haze enveloped the four, and they  
  
disappeared.  
  
Kira turned to the remaining Scouts. "OK, quick introductions.  
  
I'm Major Kira Nerys, that's Lt. Commander Worf, and you've met Odo.  
  
Now, maybe you two could give us an idea what's going on around here."  
  
Mars responded sharply, "I think you're the ones who ought to  
  
explain what you're up to. And what you're doing here with him!" She  
  
turned and leveled an accusing finger at Odo.  
  
"What have you got against Odo?" asked a baffled Kira.  
  
Mars didn't respond, other than to continue glaring at the  
  
Constable. For his part Odo returned her gaze measure for measure.  
  
After a few moments he said, "You're welcome."  
  
The raven haired Scout was taken aback. "Huh?"  
  
"For saving your life."  
  
"He's right, Mars," Mercury put in. "If it weren't for him,  
  
Zoisite would've killed us."  
  
"Yeah, that's true," Mars sullenly agreed.  
  
Odo snorted. "Your gratitude is overwhelming."  
  
Mercury put a restraining hand on her friend. "Not now, Mars."  
  
She waited until Mars' temper subsided a bit, then turned to Odo.  
  
"Please try to understand, but you're not the first shapeshifter we've  
  
encountered, and that was not... pleasant for either of us. A good  
  
friend of ours was killed by it."  
  
"You mean you've met other Changelings before?" Odo asked.  
  
"Malachite said something about another one."  
  
"Oh, is that what you call yourselves?" Mercury asked, making an  
  
entry onto her palmtop. "Yes we did, several months ago. I've always  
  
wondered if there were any others around... and I'm glad to see that  
  
you're not all like that one."  
  
"I'm not like others of my people," Odo said.  
  
"That's good to know." She looked up from the computer, "Do you  
  
know anything about your evolution?"  
  
Before Odo could say that he knew very little about how  
  
Changelings evolved, Kira interjected, "This may be very interesting,  
  
but I'd like to know just what the hell is going on around here!" She  
  
eyed the two of them critically, as if noticing their outfits for the  
  
first time. "And why the hell aren't you freezing in that getup?!?"  
  
"The effects of the transformation protects us from climatic  
  
extremes," Mercury answered automatically.  
  
"We haven't got time for this," Luna said. "We have to stop Beryl from  
  
unleashing the Negaforce. We'll try to answer your questions later, Major."  
  
If there is a later, she added silently.  
  
"Luna's right," Mars said. "Come on, Mercury. It's up to us now."  
  
The two remaining Scouts and Luna ran towards the dimensional portal.  
  
The away team glanced at each other, then followed. They had only gone a  
  
few paces when a figure appeared in front of them, barring their way.  
  
He was dressed in black and silver armor, complete with a cape, and he  
  
had a sword in hand. "I knew those two would fail in their efforts to  
  
stop you. But make no mistake about it, Sailor Scouts... You're not  
  
getting past me."  
  
"Who is it this time?" a frustrated Kira asked Worf.  
  
Mars answered before the Klingon could. "Darien," she breathed.  
  
Confusion showed on his face. "Who's Darien? My name is Prince  
  
Darien."  
  
"Oh, yes," Odo said, rolling his eyes. "There is a big difference.  
  
I can see how you might become confused."  
  
Sisko stared apprehensively at the viewscreen as all around him  
  
various sensor alarms were sounding. The energy field in the arctic that  
  
they had been monitoring had started growing exponentially in the last  
  
few minutes, threatening to result in a dimensional crossover. Very  
  
shortly, forces from the Negaverse would be able to cross over to Earth  
  
at will. He shuddered to think of the destruction that would result,  
  
given the resistance that they had demonstrated to Starfleet weapons in  
  
the past. An Earth with only twentieth century weapons wouldn't stand a  
  
chance.  
  
O'Brien also glanced at the screen from his engineering position,  
  
but he was less worried. After all, he had seen the Scouts defeat the  
  
Borg and they *had* handled Beryl before their trip to the Enterprise D,  
  
so they should be able to do so now... he hoped. "Sailor Moon should  
  
cut loose with the Silver Crystal any minute now."  
  
"I don't think so, Chief." The two of them looked to starboard  
  
side door, where Dax was entering the bridge. She made her way over to  
  
the helm, where she relieved the officer that had replaced Bashir. The  
  
doctor had raced to the Defiant's small Sickbay the moment Dax had called  
  
in the medical emergency. "I only saw four of the Scouts while I was  
  
down there. And Sailor Moon wasn't one of them."  
  
"What the..." O'Brien sputtered, aghast. "She's got to be there!"  
  
"She wasn't."  
  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Sailor Moon isn't there, then that  
  
means no Silver Crystal," Sisko said.  
  
"Yes. And without that, they have no way to beat Beryl," Dax added.  
  
Sisko frowned. "If that's the case, it looks like it's up to us."  
  
O'Brien looked at his captain as if he had lost his mind. "Us?!?"  
  
Dax looked none to optimistic herself. "Benjamin, I don't know how  
  
much we can realistically do to stop them."  
  
"I'm aware of that, old man. But I'm not about to sit up here and  
  
just watch while Earth, any Earth, is overwhelmed. I need you to find  
  
me a way to prevent the dimensional crossover... and fast!"  
  
"You're not getting past me," Darien repeated, ignoring Odo's  
  
sarcasm.  
  
"We shall see," Worf replied, raising his phaser and firing. And  
  
he might have hit him, too, had Mars not deflected his arm.  
  
"No! Don't hurt him!"  
  
Worf glowered at her. "My phaser was set on stun! He would not  
  
have been harmed!" He aimed his weapon again, only to discover a black  
  
rose embedded in it.  
  
Darien smiled, leveling his sword at Worf. "As I said, you're not  
  
getting past me."  
  
Worf threw the useless weapon away and moved into close range,  
  
drawing his mek'leth. Darien took a swipe at him, but the Klingon was  
  
able to parry it and respond with an attack of his own.  
  
"You three get going," Kira ordered as they watched the two  
  
exchange blows. "We'll keep him busy so you can do whatever it is  
  
you're supposed to be doing." She and Odo moved around the two  
  
combatants, looking for an opportunity to aid Worf.  
  
"Right," Luna responded. "Let's go!" She ran off to the portal,  
  
followed by the two remaining Scouts.  
  
They had only gone a few paces when black energy erupted from the  
  
portal, cutting off all light from the sun. In a matter of seconds, the  
  
light level around them had fallen to that of nautical twilight. In the  
  
same moment, Queen Beryl appeared before them, with a large, demonic  
  
figure appearing behind her.  
  
"We're too late," Luna whispered in a horrified tone.  
  
"Well, Sailor Scouts, you have failed utterly. Despite your efforts,  
  
the Negaforce is free at last! And now the world -- and soon the  
  
universe -- will be mine!" She threw her head back and laughed.  
  
Kira had looked back at the moment of Beryl's appearance, and saw  
  
the mad monarch's glee. "I really don't like her," Kira muttered.  
  
"She reminds me of a Cardassian."  
  
"I think your being too hard on the Cardassians," Odo said.  
  
"You haven't won yet, Beryl! Not while we're still alive!" Mars  
  
cried defiantly.  
  
"That can be easily rectified, Sailor Mars" Beryl gloated.  
  
Worf took advantage of Darien's distraction at Beryl's appearance  
  
by deflecting his blade downward with the mek'leth, then following it by  
  
striking a blow to Darien's chin with the heel of his right palm.  
  
Darien staggered backwards and Worf was about to press his advantage  
  
when he was tackled by Odo. The Constable's reason came abundantly clear  
  
as a bolt of energy tore through the space the Klingon had occupied.  
  
Worf nodded his thanks to Odo. "Where is Prince Darien?"  
  
"Telported away somehow," Odo responded as they got back to their  
  
feet.  
  
Beryl growled at this small setback. "Destroy them! Destroy them  
  
now!" There was a loud demonic howl as the Negaforce charged at them.  
  
Kira fired her phaser at the onrushing entity, but it had no obvious  
  
effect. She slapped desperately at her comm badge. "Kira to Defiant!  
  
Emergency transport, seven to beam up! NOW!!"  
  
"We tried our best, Mars."  
  
"Not good enough, Mercury. But thanks anyway." The blue haired  
  
scout nodded as the two Scouts readied themselves for a last stand.  
  
At that moment the transporter beam gripped the assembled group as  
  
the Defiant reclaimed her own.  
  
Next time: Things go from bad to worse in Chapter 3, "Day of Disaster".  
  
Author's note: Don't know what a Horta is? See the Classic Trek episode,  
  
"The Devil in the Dark". 


	3. Chapter 3 - Day of Disaster

"Perhaps today *is* a good day to die..."  
  
-Lt. Commander Worf  
  
"I tell you Worf, war is more fun when you're winning!"  
  
-General Martok  
  
Chapter 3 - Day of Disaster  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Sisko could see Kira stride forcefully  
  
onto the bridge. "Rough trip, Major?"  
  
"You could say that," she answered. "Worf's taken our guests to  
  
the medical bay, but there's a big problem to deal with on Earth. All  
  
hell's broken loose down there. Literally."  
  
"I know, Major," the captain replied softly, indicating the  
  
viewscreen. Puzzled, Kira turned to face the forward part of the bridge  
  
and gasped at the image that was displayed.  
  
"May the Prophets save us..."  
  
"We shouldn't be here," Mars was saying as Worf led them to the  
  
medical bay. She paused a moment to glare back at Odo, who was trailing  
  
behind them. "We should be back on Earth trying to stop Beryl."  
  
"Your attitude is commendable, but such an attempt would be  
  
foolish," Worf responded. "The two of you do not possess the power to  
  
confront Beryl on your own, let alone the Negaforce. Any attempt for you  
  
to do so would be a useless, though honorable, gesture." Mars looked as  
  
if she were about to object for a moment, then subsided. She hated to  
  
admit it, but Worf was right... She and Mercury didn't have the power  
  
needed to defeat Beryl, at least not without the Silver Crystal. And  
  
with the Negaforce loose, there was very little hope that they would be  
  
able to get their hands on the Rainbow Crystals and use them to recreate  
  
it. Entering the medical bay, she sighed. Things hadn't seemed this  
  
bleak to her since...  
  
The raven haired Scout stopped short upon entering. There were two  
  
beds in the Defiant's small medical bay, and a man, evidently the doctor,  
  
was working at one. The other had a still figure on it, one that was  
  
covered with a sheet. "No..." she breathed, staring at it in shock.  
  
After a moment, Mercury moved passed her and hesitantly lifted it up,  
  
revealing Sailor Venus.  
  
"She died a few minutes ago," a voice came from behind them.  
  
Turning, they faced Bashir. In a voice laced with regret he continued,  
  
"I'm sorry, but there wasn't anything I could do for her... for any of  
  
them, really. The damage from... whatever caused it, was simply too  
  
extensive, going right down to the cellular level."  
  
"Artemis?" Luna asked from her perch on Mercury's shoulder.  
  
"If you're referring to the white cat, then I'm afraid he was dead  
  
on arrival."  
  
"And... Sailor Jupiter?" Mercury asked in a quiet voice.  
  
Bashir opened his mouth to answer, but another spoke up before he  
  
did, saying in a weak voice, "I'm still here... for a little longer,  
  
anyway." The other two looked to Bashir, hoping that he'd have something  
  
more positive to say, but he simply nodded in silent agreement. Mercury  
  
automatically produced her computer and scanned Jupiter but quickly saw  
  
that the doctor was right. The tall Scout didn't have long to live.  
  
"No!" Mars protested and moved over the Jupiter's side. "That can't  
  
be true! She's going to be OK..."  
  
"Raye." The use of her name brought her up short. She blinked, and  
  
gazed down at the tall Scout, who was staring firmly at her. "Don't lie  
  
to yourself. Doctor Bashir already told me how bad off I am." She  
  
flicked her eyes over to the doctor. "It's too bad I won't be sticking  
  
around. He looks just like my old boyfriend." Her statement obviously  
  
caught Bashir off guard, and he blinked in surprise.  
  
"Oh, Lita..." Mars said in a whisper. A part of her sensed Mercury  
  
move beside her and Luna bound down onto the biobed beside Jupiter.  
  
"Hey, you can't worry about me," Jupiter said. She grimaced slightly  
  
and Bashir moved to administer a hypo, but she waved him off. "You still  
  
have to take care of Beryl. Wish I could help, but at least me and Venus  
  
took care of Malachite for you."  
  
"We'll try of course," Mercury said. "But I don't know if we have  
  
the power to do so..."  
  
"You have to," Jupiter insisted. Another wave of pain washed over  
  
her, and she gripped Mars' arm tightly. "Just promise me this," she said,  
  
looking intently first at Luna, then Mercury, and finally Mars. "Promise  
  
me that no matter what it takes, no matter what you have to do, you'll  
  
stop Beryl. Otherwise it'll all have been for nothing. And after  
  
everything we've gone through, it's gotta mean something..."  
  
"We'll do it," Luna said. The other two simply nodded, not  
  
trusting themselves to speak without breaking into tears.  
  
"Good," Jupiter said and then she caught sight of Worf standing  
  
behind them. A puzzled frown formed on her face. "Strange... somehow I  
  
feel I know you. But that can't be since I've never seen anyone like  
  
you..." Her voice trailed off as the life ebbed from her body.  
  
The only sound in the room was the shrill whine coming from the  
  
biomonitors, which Bashir silenced with a touch on the controls. He was  
  
about express his condolences to the trio when a low rumbling sound  
  
brought him up short. He had just figured out it was coming from Worf  
  
when the Klingon threw back his head and let out an earsplitting howl.  
  
Muniz looked up from the torpedo he and O'Brien were working on.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"You mean that howling sound?" the Chief inquired, his attention  
  
still on the torpedo. After Muniz nodded he added, "That was Commander  
  
Worf doing the Klingon Death Howl."  
  
"Klingon Death Howl?"  
  
"That's right." O'Brien looked at Muniz, his expression deadly  
  
serious. "It's a tradition that some Klingons observe at the moment of  
  
death for their fellows. It's a warning to the dead: Beware, a warrior  
  
comes among you."  
  
The occupants of the medical bay stared at Worf, obviously shaken by  
  
his howl. Even with his unique physiology, Odo seemed disturbed by it  
  
also. "Why did you do that?" Mercury asked.  
  
That was a question Bashir and Odo wanted answered as well, but each  
  
could see that Worf was reluctant to elaborate. "It is a long story," was  
  
all the Klingon would say.  
  
In truth, Worf wasn't quite sure how to explain it at the moment,  
  
given the twists in time this mission had presented them. During the  
  
Scouts stay on the Enterprise, he had developed a great deal of respect  
  
for Lita Kino, AKA Sailor Jupiter... enough respect that he had with her  
  
consent, adopted her into the House of Mogh. In his head he knew that the  
  
Lita before him had never experienced that timeline but in his heart he  
  
felt that he still had an obligation for her... even though the House of  
  
Mogh had been disbanded and disgraced by Chancellor Gowron almost  
  
eighteen months previously.  
  
"That's it?" Mars exclaimed somewhat incredulously. "That's all  
  
you've got to say after nearly rupturing our eardrums? 'It's a long  
  
story'?"  
  
Worf was saved from deciding on what to say by a summons from the  
  
comm system. "Sisko to Worf. Report to the bridge."  
  
"On my way, Captain." Worf was proceeding to the exit when Mars  
  
grabbed his arm.  
  
"Wait a minute. We're going with you."  
  
"You should have your injuries treated first," Bashir objected.  
  
"Both of you."  
  
Worf stared at Mars intently and saw the determination in her eyes.  
  
Though no word were spoken between the two, much was communicated between  
  
the two. In that brief span of time, Worf understood her reasons  
  
instantly. She had to accompany him, so that they could fulfill the  
  
promise had made to the dying Jupiter. For her part, Mars understood  
  
that Worf would do all he could to see that they were able to keep their  
  
word to Lita. Without turning from the raven haired Scout, Worf asked,  
  
"Are their injuries life threatening?"  
  
"Well... no," Bashir admitted. "But they should be treated as soon  
  
as possible. Especially her shoulder."  
  
"Then they will be... but *after* they speak with the captain." Worf  
  
nodded to the two Scouts and cat and they followed him out of the medical  
  
bay.  
  
Bashir sighed and began the process of placing the bodies in stasis.  
  
It wasn't that mind-consuming a task, so a large part of his mind was  
  
brooding over the loss of the two young lives, and the cat as well.  
  
'Perhaps,' he speculated, 'if I had the resources available in the  
  
infirmary at DS9, or even if this were a proper sickbay as opposed to  
  
this miniaturized excuse for one, I might have been able to save them.  
  
Perhaps even Artemis...'  
  
With a start he realized that Odo had remained behind, and had  
  
been quietly watching him. "I'm sorry, Odo. Is there something I can do  
  
for you?" Bashir asked.  
  
"I'm not sure," the Constable admitted reluctantly. "I've been  
  
feeling.. odd since the battle with Malachite."  
  
"Well, let's see what I can do for you," Bashir stated with false  
  
joviality. He opened up a medical tricorder and began scanning the  
  
changeling with it. "Hmmm... there are some mild instabilities in your  
  
morphogenic matrix."  
  
"Instabilities?" Odo asked, clearly worried.  
  
Bashir smiled. "There's no need for concern, Constable. There's  
  
nothing that won't be cleared up by your taking a few hours of rest to  
  
regenerate."  
  
Odo nodded, clearly relieved. "Thank you, Doctor. I think I'll go  
  
to my quarters and do that."  
  
"You're quite welcome," Bashir said. His expression became more  
  
serious when he looked back to the bodies in the stasis chambers. "I'm  
  
just glad I could be of some help to somebody today."  
  
Odo watched him carefully for a moment. "It's not your fault,  
  
Doctor."  
  
Bashir smiled ruefully. "Oh, I'm aware of that, Odo... at least  
  
intellectually. However, I can't help feeling that if I had the  
  
resources I had back at the station, or even if this were a proper  
  
sickbay, that I could have done more for them."  
  
"Perhaps," Odo said noncommittally. "But I don't see any reason to  
  
dwell on what might have been."  
  
"Then perhaps I should speculate on other things," Bashir answered.  
  
"I noticed that Mars, and to a lesser extent Mercury, shot a couple of  
  
nasty glares your way on the way out. Now, why is that?"  
  
Odo snorted. "You hardly need to speculate about that, Doctor.  
  
Mercury informed me that they've met another changeling previously, and  
  
that it was responsible for a friend's death."  
  
"That would tend to make them a bit hostile about changelings in  
  
general. And it would tend to color thier opinions about you."  
  
Odo nodded. "Indeed. Especially if that friend is Sailor Moon."  
  
"More speculation, Odo?"  
  
"Deduction, Doctor, not speculation. One, Sailor Moon is missing  
  
from a battle that she has a pivotal role in. Two, according to Worf,  
  
the Sailor Scouts were all close friends. When you add in Mercury's  
  
revelation, it leads one to this conclusion."  
  
The doctor frowned. "That does seem to fit."  
  
"I'm glad you concur," Odo replied with some sarcasm. "Perhaps  
  
you should consult with me on medical matters as well."  
  
Bashir smiled. "Don't worry Odo. I won't make a habit of it."  
  
"I should hope not."  
  
"If that accounts for all the Sailor Scouts, I wonder what happened  
  
to that Tuxedo Mask character Worf talked about."  
  
"He was there," Odo confirmed. Briefly the constable relayed the  
  
events that occurred at the Arctic battlefield.  
  
Bashir was suitably impressed by what he heard. "It's a pity you  
  
weren't able to capture him. I might have been able to do something for  
  
Darien to reverse his amnesia."  
  
Odo snorted. "Don't you mean Prince Darien?"  
  
A puzzled expression formed on the doctor's face. "What's the  
  
difference?"  
  
"None that I can see," Odo responded. "No, Doctor. Beryl wasn't  
  
about to let her... 'prize' get away that easily. Besides, we have no way  
  
of knowing if a stun setting would have any effect on him. And I don't  
  
blame Mars for interfering with Worf's shot, she didn't know the phaser was  
  
on stun... and she's quite clearly in love with this Darien."  
  
"Love?" a mystified Bashir asked. "How do you know that?"  
  
"I'm a detective, Doctor. And I've been observing you humanoids  
  
carefully over the years. The signs are obvious if you know where to  
  
look. Now if you'll excuse me." The Constable nodded to Bashir and  
  
departed for his quarters. At least he wouldn't have to share them with  
  
Quark on this trip.  
  
The bridge was a proverbial beehive of activity when Worf and the  
  
Scouts entered. The Klingon noted that several of the stations were  
  
manned by reserve personnel and that, aside from the captain, Kira was  
  
the only senior officer on the bridge. The Major was working furiously  
  
at the tactical station, directing the activity of those around her.  
  
By contrast, Sisko was standing rock still by his command chair,  
  
staring intently at the viewscreen. Presently he barked out, "Chief,  
  
where the hell are those torpedoes?"  
  
A disembodied voice answered him. "Almost ready, Captain. We're  
  
modifying the last two now."  
  
"Good." He turned to Worf. "Take weapons control and check the  
  
firing program, Mr. Worf. Kira will brief you on the plan." The Klingon  
  
nodded and moved to the station, Kira got out of her seat and began  
  
outlining the plan Dax and O'Brien had come up with. Curious, Mercury  
  
followed to listen in.  
  
Luna jumped onto the command chair console. "Not that we're  
  
ungrateful, but who ARE you people? And what are you trying to do?"  
  
Sisko regarded the cat for a brief period. Even though he had  
  
been briefed on their existence, he still found himself taken aback at  
  
meeting a talking cat face to face. "I'm sorry... Luna, isn't it?" After  
  
the startled cat nodded he continued, "We haven't got time for lengthy  
  
introductions right now, but I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko, commanding the  
  
Federation starship Defiant. At the moment, we're trying to seal off the  
  
link between Earth and the Negaverse." His gaze returned to the viewscreen,  
  
"Before it's too late." Mars and Luna did likewise, and gasped. A large  
  
part of the northern hemisphere was covered in a writhing dark mass that  
  
was growing visibly. Fully one third of the planet had been enveloped.  
  
"What it that?" asked Mars, her voice low.  
  
"Our sensors identify it as a negative energy field, but it's like  
  
nothing we've ever encountered before," Sisko replied. "All we really  
  
know for certain is that we're reading massive destruction inside the  
  
field. Whole cities are being destroyed. Even outside the field, it as  
  
if nature has gone bezerk: earthquakes, volcanos erupting, tornadoes...  
  
virtually every kind of natural disaster is going on."  
  
"It's the Negaforce's doing," Luna said. "It's remaking the surface  
  
of the Earth in the image of the Negaverse." The black cat shook her  
  
head sadly. "We've failed."  
  
Sisko shook his head. "Not yet, we haven't," he insisted firmly.  
  
"There may be two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but thanks to Dax and  
  
Chief O'Brien, we still have one more chance at bat."  
  
Mars hoped he was right, but in her mind she could almost hear the  
  
screams of the people trapped inside the dark mass below. "Do... do you  
  
have any idea about casualties below?"  
  
The captain grimaced. "High," he admitted. "Our sensor readings  
  
inside the field are limited, but it appears the it's several thousand at  
  
least. Considering that several major cities lie inside it, it may well  
  
be in the millions. But we can't concern ourselves with that at the  
  
moment."  
  
"What?!" Mars hissed. She was dimly aware that several of the crew  
  
turned to stare at her, Worf and Kira in particular, but she plunged on  
  
regardless. "How can you have a cold blooded attitude like..."  
  
"Because I have to be more concerned with saving those millions that  
  
are still alive," Sisko retorted, interrupting her forcefully. "We'll  
  
mourn for the dead later... after the current crisis is over." The two  
  
of them glared at each other, each of the iron willed individuals  
  
unwilling to give an inch. Finally Sisko added in a gentler tone, "That  
  
includes those who've died up here on the Defiant. You all have my  
  
condolences on the deaths of your friends, and I think I can safely speak for  
  
my crew when I say they feel similarly. I know from personal experience what  
  
it's like to lose someone close to you that suddenly."  
  
Mars sensed the sincerity behind Sisko's words and her expression  
  
softened, but before she could respond the starboard door hissed open to  
  
admit Dax, followed by Chief O'Brien. The Trill science officer looked  
  
tired as she made her way to the helm. "We're ready, sir," she said.  
  
"All the torpedoes have been modified and loaded in the launch tubes."  
  
"I hope your calculations are right, old man..." Sisko began quietly,  
  
now taking his own seat. "Because if they're not..."  
  
"If they're not, I don't think there'll be much of an Earth left  
  
to save," Dax finished in the same tone.  
  
Luna looked oddly at Dax, then to Sisko, "Old man? You need your  
  
eyes checked."  
  
Sisko raised an eyebrow, while Dax smiled broadly. "It's a long  
  
story, Luna," she said. "I'll be happy to tell you all about it when we  
  
finish here."  
  
In the meantime, Mars went over to where Mercury was standing just  
  
behind Worf at the tactical station. She could see the both he and Kira  
  
were feverishly setting up some last details on the firing program. In a  
  
low voice she asked her fellow Scout, "What are they trying to do? And  
  
can it actually work?"  
  
The blue haired Scout tapped on her computer for a moment before  
  
answering. "They've modified several of their weapons to cause a  
  
subspace inversion field." At Raye's dubious look, she smiled. "Don't  
  
worry, I'm not sure I understand it either. As for it working... Well,  
  
it's possible. The subspace physics they're using are quite advanced  
  
beyond anything that exists on Earth, but the theory seems sound.  
  
Assuming everything goes as planned, the explosions will set up an  
  
inversion field causing a cascade reaction within the dimensional portal  
  
between Earth and the Negaverse, thereby severing the dimensional link.  
  
At the very least, this should by us some time."  
  
Mars looked dubiously back at the screen. It seemed like a long  
  
shot, but what else could they try?  
  
Worf turned to Sisko, "Firing program loaded and ready, sir."  
  
"Very well. Deactivate the cloak and fire when ready, Mr. Worf,"  
  
Sisko ordered.  
  
"Aye, sir." Worf touched a control on his monitor, activating the  
  
firing program. Outside, the Defiant became visible once more and  
  
immediately launched a staggered volley of photon and quantum torpedoes.  
  
Those on the bridge watched anxiously as the orange and white weapons  
  
raced towards Earth, disappearing into the dark mass above D point.  
  
Dax monitored the sensors for reaction. "Detonation of all  
  
torpedoes confirmed. Subspace field inversion proceeding."  
  
"It's working..." Mercury breathed. The Scouts and the crew held  
  
their collective breath as the growth of the dark field slowed and  
  
finally seemed to stop.  
  
An alarm sounded from Dax's panel. Hurriedly she checked the  
  
sensor readouts. "Hold on. Something's interfering with the cascade  
  
reaction," she announced.  
  
"The Negaforce," Luna observed sadly.  
  
Dax looked horrified at the sensor readings. "The subspace  
  
inversion field has been completely negated. The portal's not  
  
collapsing... it's tearing wide open." On the viewscreen, the black  
  
mass began expanding at a greatly accelerated rate and covered the  
  
planet within a matter of seconds. The assembled group stared at the  
  
image in stunned silence, that was interrupted by an alert from the  
  
tactical station.  
  
"Captain, incoming fire!" Worf cried. Several massive bolts of  
  
energy emerged from the darkness over D point, heading straight for the  
  
Defiant.  
  
"Evasive!" Sisko ordered, "Shields to maximum!" While Dax was able  
  
to evade some of the incoming fire, a good many of the bolts impacted on  
  
the small starship, sending it tumbling. Inside, several panels exploded  
  
as a result of the power surges and the crew hung on for dear life as the  
  
deck pitched under them. Mercury and Mars hung on to the back of Worf's  
  
seat, while Luna dug her claws into the armrest of Sisko's chair.  
  
"Shields gone!" Worf reported.  
  
"Warp drive is out too," O'Brien shouted over the noise. "And the  
  
entire weapons array is offline!"  
  
Sisko began calling out orders. "Dax, get us back under control!  
  
Activate the cloaking device." Dax worked to steady the ship while moving  
  
it into another orbit. Outside, the Defiant ceased it's spinning motion  
  
and faded from view just as another energy bolt shot up and passed  
  
through where the ship had been. Still more bolts emerged from below,  
  
bracketing the starship.  
  
Kira spoke up, "Those shots are coming too close for comfort. I  
  
think they're tracking us somehow!"  
  
"While we're cloaked?" asked O'Brien in disbelief.  
  
"They had several Jem'Hadar under their control, so they probably  
  
had access Dominion technology at the same time. Including their method  
  
for penetrating cloaks," Dax theorized.  
  
"Whatever it is, we're not sticking around to find out," Sisko said.  
  
"Move us out of the system, Dax. Best speed." The Trill officer nodded  
  
and made the necessary adjustments to the helm. The image of Earth on  
  
the viewscreen grew smaller as the Defiant moved off on impulse power,  
  
the groundfire becoming more sporadic when it passed beyond lunar orbit.  
  
Mars looked at the shrinking image of the enshrouded Earth on the  
  
viewscreen, then glanced at the monitor of conditions within the  
  
blackness. She couldn't understand all of it, but the ramifications of  
  
total devastation being wrought below were perfectly clear.  
  
Negaverse victory. All their efforts had come to naught.  
  
Each of the Defiant's bridge crew had an expression of uncertainty,  
  
as they were unsure what to do next. Mars finally settled her gaze on  
  
Sisko, who had a similar expression on his face. "Well?!?" she demanded.  
  
"Now what?"  
  
Sisko continued to stare at the enshrouded Earth. "Strike three,"  
  
he said quietly.  
  
Mars couldn't believe it. The determination she had felt when  
  
leaving the medical bay went out of her like air from a popped balloon.  
  
"It was all for nothing. Everything we've gone through... everyone we've  
  
lost... Serena..." Worf looked at her sharply at this, but said nothing.  
  
"Lita... Mina... Artemis... all for NOTHING!" She collapsed into an  
  
empty chair, too emotionally spent even for tears. Mercury went over  
  
and tried to comfort her friend, but Raye seemed only dimly aware of her.  
  
Sisko turned to Kira. "Major, our guest still have injuries that  
  
need attention. Please escort them to the medical bay, then assign them  
  
quarters," he said in a still quiet voice.  
  
"Yes, sir," the Major responded. Gently she asked the Scouts to  
  
come with her, Mars doing so almost mechanically.  
  
After they left, Sisko turned to the helm. "Dax, take another look  
  
at the situation. Find another method to severe the dimensional link.  
  
And make it work this time."  
  
"Benjamin, I don't think..." she broke off at the stern look on  
  
Sisko's face which brooked no argument, instead saying quietly, "Yes,  
  
sir." She moved over to one of the science stations and began working.  
  
An uncomfortable silence descended on the bridge, broken only by a  
  
loud thud and a cracking of glass as Sisko slammed his fist on his  
  
console in frustration.  
  
"There," Bashir said, putting down the tissue regenerator. He  
  
picked up a medical tricorder and passed it over Mars' shoulder. "Good  
  
as new."  
  
Mars flexed her left arm experimentally. There was no pain at all  
  
from the wound the Jem'Hadar weapon had inflicted. In fact, it was as if  
  
she had never been injured at all. "Thanks."  
  
"All part of the friendly service," the doctor answered, moving over  
  
to the biobed Mercury was seated on. "Though you should thank whomever  
  
bandaged that in the first place."  
  
"That would be me," Mercury said, turning slightly red.  
  
"Oh?" Bashir began scanning Mercury's injuries, noting with relief  
  
that they were relatively minor. "I don't see why you're embarrassed.  
  
You did a first rate job with that makeshift bandage. I doubt I could've  
  
done better under the circumstances."  
  
"Thank you, doctor."  
  
He glanced up from the tricorder. "Have you considered a career in  
  
medicine? You've certainly got an aptitude for it."  
  
"I... I did want to be a doctor," the blue haired girl replied,  
  
suddenly downcast. "But I doubt that's possible now." Bashir mentally  
  
kicked himself, and from the look Kira was giving him, she was more than  
  
willing to do it physically. All he had wanted to do was try to cheer  
  
them up, but what he had ended up doing instead was to remind them of the  
  
devastation that was being wrought on Earth.  
  
Kira went over and put a comforting hand on Mars' shoulder. "Don't  
  
give up hope yet. If there's anyway to push Beryl off your world,  
  
Captain Sisko will find it."  
  
Mars shot a glare at the Major, who returned it measure for measure.  
  
"Who are you to talk about not giving up? Your world wasn't taken over  
  
by alien invaders!"  
  
"Oh yes it was," Kira responded, her voice taking on a hard edge to  
  
it. "Bajor, my homeworld, was invaded and occupied by the Cardassians.  
  
We were no threat to them, but they still came and stripped out world of  
  
it's resources, put us into labor camps... murdered us... you name it,  
  
the Cardassians did it. But we didn't give up. We formed a resistance  
  
movement and fought back against the Cardassians. It may have taken us  
  
fifty years, but we managed to force them off our world. And the same  
  
thing can work on Earth."  
  
"A resistance movement? Against the Negaverse?" Luna said, doubt  
  
evident in her voice. Mercury and Mars looked equally skeptical.  
  
Kira nodded. "It's one option."  
  
"No offense, Major," Bashir interjected, "But forming a resistance  
  
against the Cardassians was one thing. From what I've heard, their  
  
opponents are in another class entirely."  
  
"You got that right," Mars remarked.  
  
"It's just one possible solution," Kira said. "My point is that no  
  
situation is entirely hopeless. And Captain Sisko will find a way to  
  
resolve this -- whether it's forming a resistance movement and supplying  
  
it with weapons from the Defiant's armory... Or something else altogether."  
  
"You really believe in him, don't you?" Mercury asked.  
  
"Absolutely," Kira affirmed. "After all, he is the Emissary."  
  
Several hours later, Dax reluctantly pressed the door chime at  
  
Sisko's quarters and heard him respond softly, "Come in." The door opened  
  
to admit her to Sisko's temporary home on the Defiant. Sisko was seated  
  
on the lower bunk, a somber expression on his face. In fact, she didn't  
  
think she had seen her old friend look this depressed since Jennifer's  
  
death at Wolf 359, a little over five years ago. Those were back in the  
  
days of Curzon Dax, before the Dax symbiote had passed to Jadzia, but the  
  
memories were still vivid.  
  
Sisko stood up slowly and faced her. "I could sure use some good  
  
news right now, old man."  
  
"Unfortunately, I don't have any," she answered. "O'Brien and I  
  
have been over it a dozen times, from just as many different angles.  
  
There's just no way we can sever the link between this universe and the  
  
Negaverse."  
  
Sisko sagged back against the bunk bed, feeling very weary. "You're  
  
sure?"  
  
She nodded. "I've tried everything I could think of, even a couple  
  
things that violate the laws of physics. The link is just too strong to  
  
sever with our current resources." Sisko turned away from her, facing the  
  
far wall. "And it doesn't help matters any that it's being artificially  
  
maintained by the Negaforce."  
  
Sisko stood silently for several moments, digesting her report, then  
  
slammed his fist into the cabin wall. "Damn it!"  
  
Despite the situation, an amused expression came across Dax's face.  
  
"You never could keep your temper in check, Ben. Feel any better?"  
  
"A little," he admitted. "I just hate feeling this helpless, Dax.  
  
We didn't just stumble across this situation, we were brought here! The  
  
wormhole was deliberately diverted to bring us to this time and place to  
  
do something. But there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to help  
  
this situation." He heaved a sigh of frustration and placed his hands on  
  
his hips. "This problem is too big for us to handle, even with the help  
  
of the Sailor Scouts."  
  
Dax's brow furrowed. "Perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way."  
  
Sisko turned to face her. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Like you said, this is too big for us. So maybe the wormhole aliens  
  
had another reason for sending us here."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
Dax shrugged. "I don't know. Those pieces of the puzzle is still  
  
missing."  
  
Sisko turned and paced across the room a few times, pondering what  
  
she said. "Then it's time we found those missing pieces, old man," he  
  
said, several moments later, feeling a new sense of purpose fill him.  
  
"The Prophets mentioned an 'anomaly'... and now that I have time to think  
  
about it, there's a very good chance they were talking about a temporal  
  
anomaly. And I'd bet my baseball that it has some connection to the  
  
changes in the timeline that we've observed here as well."  
  
"No bet," Dax said. "I think you're onto something, Benjamin. I'll  
  
get on the sensors and start scanning for temporal anomalies."  
  
"Search for any spatial anomalies as well, Dax. We can't afford to  
  
leave any stone unturned. And have Chief O'Brien get to work on that log  
  
buoy again. Now that there's time to give it a good lookover, there may  
  
be a few answers there as well."  
  
"Yes, sir" she answered and left the room.  
  
"Sisko to Worf," the captain said, prompting the computer to activate  
  
the intercom system. "I have an assignment for you."  
  
"Muniz!" The younger man looked up from a console to see O'Brien  
  
entering the engine room.  
  
"Yes, Chief?"  
  
"The captain wants us to take a look at that log buoy we salvaged,"  
  
the Chief answered. "Hopefully it'll give us some clue as to what the  
  
hell's going on around here. Besides, now that most of the damage has  
  
been repaired, you need something to do, right?" The two engineers moved  
  
over to the damaged buoy, which had been placed in a corner of the  
  
Defiant's engine room. With all the recent activity, neither had been  
  
able to make the time to attempt to extract useful information from it.  
  
"It'll be a miracle if we get anything out of this mess," Muniz  
  
remarked, shaking his head.  
  
"We won't know until we try," O'Brien stated. "Besides, you're  
  
not afraid of a little hard work, are you Muniz?"  
  
"No, sir," Muniz answered with a smile.  
  
"Don't call me sir," the Chief groused, "Unless you *really* want  
  
a transfer to Waste Extraction." They both chuckled and began work by  
  
removing an inspection plate form the buoy. After much effort they  
  
managed to get it off, and stared in stunned silence as they got a good  
  
look at the buoy's inner workings.  
  
"I don't believe it!" Muniz remarked. "I thought they stopped  
  
using stuff like this a hundred years ago!"  
  
O'Brien shook himself and tried to focus on the task at hand. "They  
  
did, but it doesn't change our job any. Captain Sisko wants answers, and  
  
that means he wants us to find them."  
  
The sound of the door chime startle Amy, almost causing her to drop  
  
the padd she had been studying. She and Raye were in the small, though  
  
spartan, quarters that Major Kira had assigned them. Upon transforming  
  
back, Raye had opted to get some sleep, but Amy found that she couldn't  
  
contain her curiosity about their hosts and accessed the computer.  
  
Besides, she doubted she could sleep very well at the moment. Any sleep  
  
she got right now would no doubt be tainted by nightmares of recent  
  
events... Mina's death... Lita's... the Negaverse overrunning Earth...  
  
and Serena's death. It had been months since that had happened, but the  
  
events of that day still plagued her at night. Again she wondered how  
  
Raye was able to put these things aside and get to sleep so easily.  
  
Probably something in her training as a Shinto priestess, she decided.  
  
Downloading the data into a padd, she decided to start with the  
  
history of the Defiant and the crew she had met, and had gotten as far as  
  
the recent history of Bajor before she was interrupted.  
  
Getting out of the lower bunk, she looked at Raye. The other girl  
  
was eyeing the door rather groggily. "What now?" she asked in a rather  
  
irritated voice as the door chimed again. Amy could swear that it had  
  
taken on an impatient tone.  
  
"One way to find out." She was about to admit whoever was at the  
  
door when Raye put a restraining hand on her.  
  
"Hold on. Let's transform first."  
  
"I hardly think maintaining a secret identity is necessary now,  
  
Raye."  
  
"Maybe not," the other girl admitted. "And I think these people  
  
can be trusted... at least Worf can be. But's lets be on the safe side,  
  
OK?"  
  
Amy considered what she said and nodded. "OK." Two transformation  
  
phrases (and three door chimes) later she said, "Come in."  
  
The door opened and a rather impatient (but trying not to show it)  
  
Worf entered. He looked first at Mercury, then at Mars eyeing him from  
  
the upper bunk. He noted that the small tears in their clothing had  
  
disappeared. "Am I disturbing you?"  
  
"Not at all," Mars replied, the sarcasm sharply evident in her  
  
voice. "I was only sleeping." Worf repressed the instinctive urge to  
  
snarl. This was Mars, alright. She was just as sharp tongued as during  
  
her trip to the Enterprise D.  
  
"Mars!"Mercury chided her. Turning to Worf, "Well, I wasn't  
  
sleeping, though I was doing some research into the history of your  
  
world. It sounds like an interesting place."  
  
"It is," he agreed. "Hopefully we will be able to return there once  
  
this matter is resolved."  
  
Mars looked confused. "Can't you just use the same way you got  
  
here?"  
  
"No," the Klingon replied. "We were investigating an anomaly in  
  
the wormhole. For some reason, it led us here and then vanished."  
  
Mercury nodded in understanding. "Yes, the wormhole between the  
  
Alpha and Gamma Quadrants." Then she frowned as what Worf said sank in.  
  
"It led you here? It shouldn't have done that."  
  
"We do not understand it either," Worf agreed. "Our current theory  
  
is that the wormhole aliens routed us here for some reason. And that is  
  
the reason for my visit."  
  
"How so?" Mars asked.  
  
"We believe that a temporal anomaly occurred, altering the history  
  
of your world. Captain Sisko asked me to talk with you three..." His  
  
voice trailed off and he glanced about the room. "Where is Luna?"  
  
"She said something about exploring the ship. She should be back  
  
soon," Mercury answered. "You were saying?"  
  
"Yes. The captain asked me to talk with you three to see if I  
  
could determine the crucial event that altered the flow of your history."  
  
"You mean something happened to change the way things should have  
  
gone for us?" Mercury asked.  
  
"That is our current theory, yes."  
  
"But why you?" Mars asked. "I mean, isn't Dax the scientist?"  
  
"She is," Worf admitted, "But I have greater knowledge of your  
  
true history from my earlier meeting with you on the Enterprise."  
  
Mercury looked puzzled. "Meeting?"  
  
"We've never met you before," Mars added. "And believe me, we'd  
  
definitely remember meeting someone like you."  
  
"Of course not," Worf said, ignoring Mars' barb. "That event took  
  
place later in your history, and in the true timeline. You can confirm  
  
what I've said by accessing the logs of the Enterprise D." He added a  
  
range of stardates for good measure.  
  
Mercury picked up the padd and quickly manipulated the controls,  
  
calling up the relevant data. It only took her a moment to skim over the  
  
log entries, "He's right Mars. All five of the Sailor Scouts visited  
  
there... and Tuxedo Mask as well." She read on for a moment and gasped.  
  
"Our names are listed here! Our real ones!"  
  
"You spent over a month on the Enterprise and as we are from  
  
different universes, there was no need to conceal who and what you were,"  
  
Worf said, trying to reassure her. "But in order to preserve that  
  
timeline, we need to know how things changed. I need you to tell me  
  
everything that has happened. Form the moment you became Sailor Scouts  
  
to Sailor Moon's death... and what has happened since."  
  
Next time: Dax and O'Brien conduct their own searches for some answers to  
  
this temporal quandary, and each yield some surprising results.  
  
Meanwhile, Mercury and Mars explain to Worf just what went wrong in  
  
"A moonless world" 


	4. Chapter 4 - A moonless world

soton@aol.com  
  
"The last thing I want is a visit from Temporal Investigations when we  
  
get home..."  
  
-Captain Benjamin Sisko  
  
Sailor Trek: Deep Space 9  
  
Chapter 4 - A moonless world  
  
Dax nodded to Kira as she made her way to the science station.  
  
"So you're the lucky one who got the night shift, Kira?"  
  
"Not originally," she remarked. "Worf had the duty, but Captain  
  
Sisko had a job for him, so I got called in. Not that there was anyone  
  
else available, mind you."  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Dax said with a shrug. "I think I could handle  
  
the center seat for a while."  
  
"That's true," Kira said with a laugh. "But not right now, you  
  
can't. You're still too busy trying to find a way to push this Queen  
  
Beryl back where she belongs."  
  
The science officer shook her head. "Not anymore."  
  
It took Kira a moment to realize what Dax had said. She swiveled  
  
the command chair to face the science officer, disbelief clearly written  
  
on her face. "What do you mean? Captain Sisko can't be thinking about  
  
giving up!"  
  
"Relax, Kira," Dax reassured her. "We're just trying another angle.  
  
We've theorized that the Prophets were referring to a temporal anomaly  
  
when they talked to Benjamin during our last trip through the wormhole.  
  
So," she gestured to the science station, "now I'm up here looking for  
  
temporal anomalies."  
  
"I see," Kira said, understanding dawning. "So, if we can find this  
  
temporal anomaly, maybe we can use it somehow... to keep this whole mess  
  
from happening in the first place?"  
  
"That's essentially the idea," Dax said. Leaning forward, she set  
  
about the task of remodulating the sensors. "So, anything exciting  
  
happening up here?"  
  
"Not much," Kira admitted. "The situation on Earth seems to have  
  
stabilized, but we're still cloaked and maintaining a distance of two  
  
hundred million kilometers. But every now and then we get a threatening  
  
message from her majesty, Queen Beryl." Sarcasm was practically dripping  
  
from Kira's voice as she said "her majesty."  
  
Now it was Dax's turn to show disbelief. "She's sending direct  
  
messages to us? This far away... while we're cloaked?"  
  
"No, no directly," Kira reassured her. "She's just sending out  
  
general broadband transmissions allover the place, using old style radio  
  
waves. And it's just the usual kind of threats I'd expect from someone  
  
like her. You know, how she's going to have her vengeance on us and  
  
wherever we came from for daring interfere with her plans, and the like.  
  
The Cardassians made the same kind of threats to us during the Occupation."  
  
"Sounds charming," Dax remarked, her tone indicating she found Beryl  
  
anything but. "Maybe we should invite her to the next Bajoran Gratitude  
  
Festival?"  
  
Kira shuddered at the thought. "No thanks. I'd rather invite Gul  
  
Dukat." She sighed and added, "But I will say this about Beryl: she loves  
  
the sound of her voice even more than Dukat does."  
  
Down in the Defiant's mess hall, Worf took his drink from the  
  
replicator and sat down at a nearby table with Mars and Mercury. Both of  
  
them were eying his drink dubiously, but it was Mars who finally asked  
  
the obvious question. "Prune juice?"  
  
"Yes." Worf had long since grown used to the reaction people had  
  
upon hearing of his beverage of choice. Rather than explain it yet again,  
  
he glanced at the padd in front of him. "Your depiction of the battle at  
  
the amusement park seems consistent with the original timeline. What  
  
happened afterwards?"  
  
"Afterwards?" Mars asked, then paused. When she continued, her  
  
voice was hoarse and bitter, "That's when thing went horribly wrong."  
  
Serena looked around in disbelief. "The Negaverse is going to  
  
strike here next? At a *baseball* stadium?!? Luna, I think you've  
  
finally gone whacko on me."  
  
The cat stuck her head out from the handbag she was hiding in. "If  
  
I have gone insane, it's only because you've driven me over the edge."  
  
"Oooohhh!" Unable to think of a suitable retort, Serena settled for  
  
sticking her tongue out at the black feline.  
  
"And besides," Luna continued, ignoring Serena's antics, "There've  
  
been reports of people disappearing from here over the last couple of  
  
days. That fits with their previous activities."  
  
"There's one thing I find odd about this," Amy spoke up.  
  
"Only one?" Serena asked.  
  
Amy smiled and continued, "It's that they've decided to strike again  
  
so soon. After all, it's only been three days since we broke up their  
  
operation at the amusement park."  
  
"Maybe they're getting desperate," Raye theorized. "They know they  
  
have to face three of us now, so maybe they're trying for a quick strike,  
  
hoping to catch us off guard." She paused and looked around the concourse.  
  
"Besides, I think Luna's right. I've been having a bad feeling about  
  
this place the moment we went through the gate."  
  
"This from a girl who decided *I* was evil and slapped a spirit ward  
  
on my forehead just minutes after meeting me?" Serena quipped. "That  
  
doesn't make me feel any better about having to spend a good chunk of  
  
my allowance for a ticket."  
  
Raye's eyes narrowed, but Amy intervened before she could say  
  
anything. "We should split up to cover more ground. Luna and I will go  
  
this way and you two can check out the other direction."  
  
"Wait a minute! I want to go with you, Amy. Luna can go with the  
  
grouch!" Serena complained.  
  
"Grouch?!?"  
  
"We can meet back her in an hour," Amy said and she took the bag  
  
containing Luna from Serena and moved off.  
  
The other two glared at each other for a moment before they finally  
  
started off on their own search. "I can't believe Amy did it to me this  
  
time," Serena grumbled.  
  
"Quit complaining, meatballhead," Raye retorted.  
  
Serena stopped momentarily and fumed, allowing Raye to pull  
  
slightly ahead of her. "STOP CALLING ME MEATBALLHEAD!" the blonde yelled  
  
as she followed Raye.  
  
An uneasy silence descended over the two as they made their way  
  
through the concourse. Soon, however, Serena's mood brightened as she  
  
eyed the various offering at the concessions. The only thing stopping  
  
her from sampling at each one was the fact that her monetary supply was  
  
so limited. But that didn't prevent her from irritating Raye.  
  
"Come on, Serena," she finally said, "We're supposed to be here on  
  
Sailor business, remember?"  
  
"Give it a rest, Raye. There's no reason we can't do that and  
  
have a good time, too." Here eyes goggled as she espied a booth just  
  
coming into view. "Oh, look! That place has hot dogs, way super cheap!  
  
I can afford those!"  
  
Raye suppressed a groan as Serena raced over to the concession,  
  
then resignedly followed her over.  
  
The concession was extremely crowded when they took their place in  
  
line, but that wasn't surprising given the cut rate prices it was  
  
offering. But the moment they approached it, Raye's bad feeling  
  
intensified dramatically. There was definitely something evil nearby.  
  
Her eyes narrowed and she flitted her gaze back and forth over the  
  
throng in an attempt to localize it.  
  
Seeing that Raye was obviously worried about something, Serena asked  
  
in a whisper, "What's wrong?"  
  
"I sense something."  
  
"Here? You've got to be kidding, Raye. I --" Serena stopped in  
  
midsentence, for at that moment a man several places in front of them  
  
groaned and sagged to his knees. Several others soon followed suit.  
  
Strangely enough though, those passing by the booth didn't pay the  
  
commotion any mind. "Uh oh."  
  
Raye's attention was immediately drawn to the attendant, as he was  
  
grinning ear to ear as more people collapsed. Instinctively she knew  
  
that he was the cause of this. He had to be from the Negaverse! Feeling  
  
a slight sense of weakness come over her, Raye acted. She raced through  
  
the crowd for the booth, the white paper of one of her spirit wards held  
  
tightly in her right hand. As she approached she chanted in a low voice,  
  
empowering the ward, then leapt for the attendant and planted it firmly  
  
on his forehead. "EVIL SPIRIT, BEGONE!"  
  
The effect was immediate and the attendant begin to change. His  
  
skin took on a grayish tone, and several ridges formed on his face and  
  
shoulders with features that resembled reptilian scales. However, the  
  
most prominent feature was a slight protrusion from his forehead that bore  
  
a distinct likeness to a spoon. "A youma!" Serena exclaimed.  
  
"Rybite!" it hissed along with several other incomprehensible  
  
utterings, confirming it's origins for them.  
  
Pandemonium immediately broke out as people, suddenly recovered when  
  
Raye's ward broke the energy drain spell, ran in panic from the monster.  
  
The two girls took cover around a corner and Raye gave Serena a satisfied  
  
look. "Well?"  
  
"OK, you're right this time. But even a broken clock is right twice  
  
a day... MOON PRISM POWER!"  
  
Raye glared, but decided to save any replies until after the fight  
  
was done. "MARS POWER!"  
  
Rybite had pinned two bystanders to the ground and was trying to  
  
drain their energy off when a voice cried out, "Hold it!" Rybite pivoted  
  
and found itself confronted by Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon. Taking a  
  
step forward, Sailor Moon leveled an accusing finger at the youma, "A  
  
ballpark is a place for people to enjoy themselves, not be attacked by  
  
Negasleaze like you! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"  
  
The youma's only response was to hiss and then spit at the two  
  
Scouts. Both leapt aside and the large glob hit the girder between  
  
them. Sailor Moon looked on in shock as it began eating into the metal.  
  
"Eeww... That stuff's nasty!"  
  
"Not as nasty as I'm going to get!" Mars said. "MARS..." Before  
  
she could finish the attack phrase though, Rybite spat again at her,  
  
forcing her to dodge.  
  
The battle continued in that manner for some time. The youma would  
  
spit a glob of it's corrosive venom at each of them before they could  
  
bring their attacks to bear, forcing the Scouts to dodge. On the other  
  
hand, the Scouts themselves proved too agile for him to hit. It seemed  
  
the battle would remain a stalemate, until...  
  
"MERCURY BUBBLES... BLAST!"  
  
A thick layer of fog encased the area around them, and Rybite  
  
looked around trying to espy it's foes. It uttered several more  
  
incomprehensible phrases in obvious frustration as Mercury's fog  
  
inhibited it's visibility to near zero. Sailor Moon looked up happily at  
  
her friend's approach. "Thanks for the save, Sailor Mercury!"  
  
"Sorry I wasn't here sooner," she replied. "But my computer didn't  
  
detect the youma's power emanations until a few minutes ago. It must  
  
have been generating some sort of concealment field."  
  
"That must be why no one reacted to everyone collapsing earlier,"  
  
Mars added.  
  
"We can theorize later. Quickly you two," Luna urged Sailor Mars  
  
and Sailor Moon, "While it's confused!"  
  
"Right, Luna," Sailor Moon replied. She reached to her forehead.  
  
"MOON TIARA..."  
  
"MARS FIRE..."  
  
"MAGIC!"  
  
"IGNITE!"  
  
Too late the youma saw the fire encased tiara racing for it, and  
  
it barely had time for a loud scream before the combined attack cut  
  
through it. It's last cry of despair was just about the most  
  
understandable thing the creature had said since it's manifestation.  
  
"Moondusted!" Sailor Moon cried happily as Rybite disintegrated.  
  
Within seconds all that remained of the incomprehensible creature was a  
  
pile of dust, which quickly faded away as well. She turned to give Mars  
  
a high five, but the other girl was staring dumbfounded. "Mars? What's  
  
wrong?"  
  
She didn't reply, except by moving to one side of Sailor Moon a  
  
split second later, taking aim at something behind her. Moments before,  
  
it had seemed to be an ordinary trash can, but Mars had seen it shift  
  
from, becoming a writhing, gelatinous blob that seemed very much alive to  
  
her. She didn't know what the shapeshifting creature was, but was sure  
  
that it didn't mean them any good. "MARS FIRE..."  
  
At the same moment Mars spoke, a gelatinous tentacle emerged from  
  
the mass and shot forth at inhuman speed, wrapping itself around Sailor  
  
Moon's neck.  
  
"IGNITE!" Mars saw two additional tentacles emerge, heading in the  
  
direction of herself and Sailor Mercury. But they never got to them, as  
  
her flame arrived first and struck dead center in the gelatinous ooze. A  
  
loud, inhuman scream came from it as her attack flared, leaving behind  
  
only a pile of black dust when it faded. "Got it!" she cried  
  
triumphantly, but it suddenly felt hollow to her as she caught sight of  
  
Sailor Moon sprawled out on the ground. The unnatural stillness in her  
  
form caused a cold lump of fear to form in her stomach.  
  
Mercury moved rapidly to the fallen Scout's side as did Luna, but  
  
each saw immediately it was too late. Serena's head was canted at an  
  
odd angle, and her half open eyes were dull and lifeless. Mercury looked  
  
to her fellow Scout, and saw that Mars was staring wide eyed in shock at  
  
the sight. "No," she said, shaking her head in denial. "It can't be..."  
  
"I'm afraid it is, Raye," Mercury said shakily. Taking a deep  
  
breath, she forced herself to say the unthinkable through the tears that  
  
were forming. "Serena's dead."  
  
"What about Tuxedo Mask?" Worf asked. "I was under the impression  
  
he was usually there whenever she was in danger."  
  
"He was there," Mars replied softly. "He was just a little too late  
  
that time."  
  
Mars watched the tableau before her in shock. Mercury was kneeling  
  
beside Sailor Moon, where she had been moments before when she told Raye  
  
she was dead. Around them, Raye could sense a crowd of silent onlookers  
  
forming, but she didn't care. How could this have happened? How could it  
  
have gone so wrong, so quickly?  
  
*How could I let this happen?* she thought. It had only been a  
  
second at most between the time she had seen the creature change and the  
  
time she had acted. Could she have stopped it if she had acted sooner?  
  
She sensed a presence nearby. Looking up, she saw Tuxedo Mask  
  
standing among the stadium gridwork above them. He said nothing, just  
  
staring at the scene below him, a look of deep sadness on his face.  
  
Raye watched him for several seconds, but then he vanished in the  
  
literal blink of an eye.  
  
"It wasn't until just before Zoicite started looking for the rainbow  
  
crystals that we saw him again." Mars closed her eyes against the tears  
  
that were forming there and added quietly, "It's my fault."  
  
"What is your fault?" Worf asked.  
  
Mars slammed her fist onto the table, jarring the various beverage  
  
containers there. Mercury jumped slightly, but Worf didn't react. The  
  
Klingon merely crossed his arms and regarded the hot tempered Scout  
  
stoically. "It's my fault that Serena is dead! If I hadn't hesitated...  
  
if I hadn't been standing there like an *idiot* with my mouth open while  
  
that thing was shapeshifting, I could have stopped it before it killed  
  
her!"  
  
Mercury sighed and bowed her head, telling Worf that this was an  
  
old argument between the two. Before she could say anything though,  
  
Worf spoke, "That is foolishness."  
  
"Oh, really?" she retorted, making no effort now to hold back the  
  
tears.  
  
"Yes," Worf replied evenly. "The changeling struck fast and  
  
without warning. You had no idea what it was, or anything about it's  
  
capabilities. That you were able to strike as quick as you did speaks  
  
well of you."  
  
"That's easy for..." Mars halted in midsentence as she hastily  
  
rethought what she was about to say. She had already made that mistake  
  
with Major Kira, and she had a feeling that in this instance she would  
  
be wrong about Worf as well.  
  
The Klingon nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Yes," he rumbled,  
  
"I understand something of what you have gone through. I, too, have  
  
endured the loss of a loved one."  
  
They stared at one another, their expressions each communicating  
  
to the other far more than mere words could. "Who was she?" Mars  
  
finally asked.  
  
Worf said nothing at first, only a slight hardening in his eyes  
  
betraying any of the emotion he felt. Then, "Her name was K'Ehleyr.  
  
She was my mate... and the mother of my son. She was murdered on board  
  
the Enterprise, on which I chief of security." He waited a beat, then  
  
added, "I do not waste time pondering what might have been, on if there  
  
was anything I could have done differently to prevent her death. I know  
  
in my heart I did my duty that day... that there was nothing more I could  
  
do without foreknowledge to prevent her death. And you must accept the  
  
same of yourself. Given the circumstances, you did all you could hope to  
  
do to prevent it."  
  
Mercury slid a box of tissues she had just replicated in front of  
  
Mars, "I hope you listen to him, Raye. I've been telling you the same  
  
thing for months."  
  
Worf paused to consider Mars' tale in silence... and to give her a  
  
chance to compose herself. It had answered some questions, but raised  
  
several others. A changeling had been responsible for Sailor Moon's  
  
death, but how had it gotten to this world? Four years ago, the  
  
Enterprise had sealed off the quantum flux that joined the two universes,  
  
which should have cut off passage between them. Even if the Dominion  
  
had managed to reopen the flux, it would have led to a point in time a  
  
hundred years later. But why would the Dominion make the effort to do  
  
so? It didn't fit their usual method of operation. Their interests to  
  
date had been entirely with the Alpha Quadrant.  
  
He decided to pursue those particular questions later. "Please  
  
continue. There are several other things I would like to know. Such as  
  
how the two of you gained your increased abilities."  
  
"That's not too hard to answer," Mercury said, "Since it happened in  
  
the days following Serena's murder. Raye gained her increased abilities  
  
first, only a few days later when..."  
  
Raye leaned heavily on the deckrail and gazed out over the water.  
  
"This was a terrible idea," she muttered. Turning to her companion she  
  
added, "I don't know why I even bothered to enter that contest in the  
  
first place. This cruise has turned out to be an utter bust."  
  
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Amy said. "And after...  
  
what happened a few days ago, we needed something to lift our spirits."  
  
"Don't you mean after I screwed up and got Serena killed?" Raye  
  
said.  
  
"Stop it, Raye! You can't go on blaming yourself like this!"  
  
"Why not?" she retorted. Frustrated, she began pacing along the  
  
railing. "I hesitated. If I had reacted the moment I saw that thing  
  
start to shapeshift, she'd be alive right now."  
  
"You don't know that. Ignoring the fact that you hesitated for  
  
maybe one second at most, neither one of us knows what would have happened  
  
had either one of us reacted sooner. Serena may have died in any event.  
  
Or maybe one of us would be --" Amy stopped as she spotted a certain  
  
black feline bounding in their direction. "Luna! What are you doing  
  
here?"  
  
"Did you two really think I'd let you out of my sight?" the cat  
  
said breathlessly. "Besides, we've got trouble."  
  
"What kind of trouble?" Raye asked, even though she already had a  
  
good idea what Luna was talking about.  
  
"Negaverse trouble! They've got something brewing in the ball room.  
  
Come on!" Luna ran off, and the two girls followed close behind her.  
  
Soon they reached the entrance to the large room and they cautiously  
  
peered inside. All round, they could see people collapsed on the floor --  
  
all save for two at the front of the room.  
  
Raye didn't need to be a psychic to know who they where, and what  
  
they represented. "Negasleaze!" She smiled grimly as she produced her  
  
transformation pen. "Good. I've been wanting a rematch with these  
  
creeps."  
  
"Excellent work, Titus," Jeddite said. "We've managed to collect a  
  
great deal of energy this day."  
  
The youma smiled. "I am happy to serve, Jeddite."  
  
Jeddite gazed up at the collector speculatively. "With this amount  
  
of energy, Queen Beryl may even forgive the loss of the shapeshifter."  
  
"Too bad you're not going to be able to deliver it!" a voice rang  
  
out.  
  
Jeddite whirled. "Who?!?"  
  
"I am Sailor Mars! And I won't tolerate those who would interrupt  
  
a romantic cruise! In the name of Mars..."  
  
"...and Mercury..."  
  
"We'll punish you!" they concluded simultaneously.  
  
"The Sailor Scouts," Jeddite snarled. "Just my luck, even on a  
  
ship at sea I can't escape your interference. Titus, destroy them!"  
  
"My pleasure," the female youma replied. At a gesture from her,  
  
the crew in the room transforming into a humanoid form made of  
  
quicksilver. Obeying Titus' mental command, they went after the two  
  
Scouts.  
  
"You're going to do better than that!" Mercury exclaimed.  
  
"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!" A thick layer of fog descended over the room,  
  
and the Negaverse operatives hesitated, confused by the sudden loss of  
  
visibility and the drop in temperature.  
  
"Nice setup, Mercury. Now I'll finish them off. MARS FIRE IGNITE!"  
  
In an instant the fire swept over the area, reducing the quicksilver  
  
beings to piles of dust.  
  
Titus was hardly finished with them, however. She leapt at the two  
  
and slammed into them, driving them back onto the deck. Mars managed to  
  
get back to her feet just in time to see Titus standing by the railing,  
  
her back to the ocean. "MARS FIRE IGNITE!"  
  
The firebolt ran straight at the youma, but Titus gestured and two  
  
large geysers of water shot into the air. A jet of water emerged from  
  
one and intercepted Mars' attack, dousing the flame. "Seems you're not  
  
such hot stuff, Mars. Just like your friend, Sailor Moon."  
  
"Why you --" Mars began, but was cut off by Mercury as she began  
  
her attack. She reasoned that if she was able to blind Titus, Mars'  
  
flame might be able to get through and finish the youma off. She may  
  
have been right, but Titus acted first as she sent another blast of water  
  
at the blue haired Scout. Mercury gasped as the waterspout drove her  
  
into the bulkhead. She stood there trying to get her bearings, obviously  
  
dazed.  
  
"Now to finish you off," Titus gloated.  
  
"NO!" Mars cried and sent forth another blast of flame, only to have  
  
this one doused as well. Titus drew back her hand to launch the attack  
  
that would surely finish off Mercury, while Mars desperately tried to  
  
think of something to do. Anger and rage shot through her at her  
  
ineffectiveness in this battle, and she prepared to strike again. She  
  
was NOT going to let another friend die if she could help it!  
  
A mental connection was forged within her mind as she drew upon all  
  
her strength, tapping into as yet unknown reserves. Instinctively the  
  
new phrase came to her and she cried out, "MARS FIREBIRD STRIKE!"  
  
The youma looked on in alarm as the bird of flame soared at her and  
  
she tried to douse this attack as she had with the previous ones.  
  
However, this time the water blast was seriously ineffective as the  
  
firebird cut through it and struck her full on. Titus barely had time  
  
to scream before the firebird overwhelmed her.  
  
Mercury turned rather shakily from where the youma had been and  
  
faced Mars. "How did you do that?"  
  
"I don't know," the other Scout confessed, "I just did. All I knew  
  
was that I couldn't let it kill you." She went over and helped Mercury  
  
to her feet. "Are you OK?"  
  
"I think so," she responded. "Thanks, Mars."  
  
"Very touching," another voice interrupted. They turned to the  
  
source of the voice to see Jeddite hovering nearby. "I thought Titus  
  
would be powerful enough to destroy you, but I seem to have underestimated  
  
you two. But now I will finish you off myself!"  
  
"Give it your best shot, creep!" Mars challenged him. But before  
  
the youma General could do anything, he vanished without a trace. She  
  
blinked, surprised at his sudden retreat. "Where'd he go?"  
  
Mercury glanced around the area with her visor. "He's nowhere  
  
around. He's gone."  
  
"He'll be back," Mars said grimly. "But next time we'll take care of  
  
him for good."  
  
Mercury turned to her fellow Scout. "Thanks again for saving my  
  
life, Raye."  
  
"You repaid the favor a couple of days later. Besides, we've done  
  
the same for each other ever since," she responded, then added sullenly,  
  
"I just wish I'd been able to do the same for Serena."  
  
Now it was Mercury's turn to pound on the table, hard enough to make  
  
even Worf blink in surprise. He hadn't known her to be prone to such  
  
outbursts on the Enterprise. "Raye!" Mercury chided her. "Didn't you  
  
listen to what Worf just said? Or anything I've told you over the months  
  
since? It wasn't your fault!!" She took a deep breath to calm herself.  
  
"There wasn't anything you or I could do to save Serena that day, as much  
  
as either one of us may wish otherwise."  
  
"That's what makes it so hard," Mars answered. Getting up, she  
  
walked over to the replicator. Glancing back at Worf she asked, "How do  
  
you work this thing?"  
  
"Simply tell it what it is you wish. Though usually it is best to  
  
use the word 'Computer' first."  
  
"OK," she said. "Computer: a mug of hot tea, please."  
  
"There are two thousand three hundred forty seven different varieties  
  
of tea on record," the computer responded. "Please specify." A display  
  
of the various types promptly appeared listing both human and alien  
  
variants, and the computer began scrolling through them.  
  
"Urk!" Mars' mind boggled at the size of the list. "Any  
  
suggestions?" she asked Worf uncertainly.  
  
The Klingon frowned, considering. He was unsure how to reply, for  
  
despite the number of years he had lived among them, he still found  
  
human tastes odd. "I've been told that Earl Grey is an excellent  
  
variant."  
  
Shrugging she said, "Make it Earl Grey tea. You want anything, Amy?"  
  
"Mmm... A hot chocolate, please."  
  
Mars nodded. "And a hot chocolate." The requested beverages  
  
materialized and she return to the table with them, muttering, "Sure,  
  
there are umpteen different kinds of tea, but only one hot chocolate.  
  
Computers!"  
  
Mercury forbode comment, choosing instead to simply thank her  
  
friend. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Well, a few days after the battle on  
  
the ship, Jeddite challenged us to meet him in open combat at the airport.  
  
We knew it was a trap but we couldn't ignore it, since he had threatened  
  
to destroy Tokyo if we didn't show up."  
  
"He left you very little choice," Worf agreed. "But I hope you at  
  
least took some precautions."  
  
"We went in with our eyes open, if that's what you mean," Mars said.  
  
"Once we got to the airport, we transformed."  
  
Mercury took up the tale, "And after we got inside the perimeter,  
  
several guards began chasing us. Except that when I scanned them, I saw  
  
that they weren't guards at all, they were just animated clay! Well, Mars  
  
let loose a Firebird attack and that took care of them. Then Jeddite made  
  
his appearance..."  
  
"Very impressive, Sailor Mars," the General sneered as he examined  
  
her handiwork, "but you'll still meet the same fate as your pathetic  
  
friend, Sailor Moon."  
  
Mars bristled at this taunt. "You're going to be the one dying  
  
today, Jeddite!"  
  
"Brave words. Now let's see if you can back them up!" Jeddite  
  
stretched out his hands, and the two Scouts tensed, preparing to dodge  
  
whatever attack he sent their way. But Jeddite had another strategy in  
  
mind, instead animating several of the nearby jets. Slowly the lumbering  
  
behemoths moved towards them, accelerating rapidly.  
  
"No problem," Raye said. "One fire blast should take care of them!"  
  
"No!" Luna cried. "If you bow up a jet, it will take your allowance  
  
for the next ten thousand years to pay for it!"  
  
The two Scouts looked uncertainly at each other, then did the only  
  
thing they could: run. But even with their speed enhanced in their  
  
Sailor forms, the best they could do was maintain their distance. "Split  
  
up!" Mars yelled. Mercury nodded and ran to the right, while Mars  
  
veered left.  
  
Jeddite chuckled, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle in front of him.  
  
This was turning out to be far easier than he had imagined. How could he  
  
have let these two defeat him before? Clearly he had been overestimating  
  
them... they must have been more lucky than good. After a moments  
  
consideration he decided that Mars was clearly the more dangerous of the  
  
two, so he sent the jets after her. Once he eliminated her, he could  
  
deal with Mercury at his leisure.  
  
Mercury slowed upon seeing that none of the aircraft were following  
  
her. Quickly she looked around for Sailor Mars, and her heart froze.  
  
Somehow, the aircraft had boxed her in and were closing on her. Raye  
  
was looking urgently around, trying to find a direction to run.  
  
Jeddite materialized next to her. "Too bad, Sailor Mercury. Despite  
  
all your efforts, another one of your friends is going to die."  
  
"NO!"  
  
Jeddite sneered. "There's nothing you can do. How are you going to  
  
stop those jets, hmmm? With your pathetic bubbles?"  
  
Stung by Jeddite's taunts, Amy summoned all of her power, trying to  
  
gather all her strength in one blast. Suddenly, she felt a rush of  
  
energy, more than she had ever felt before. The words came  
  
instinctively, "MERCURY ICE BUBBLES..."  
  
Jeddite frowned. That wasn't the correct phrasing.  
  
"FREEZE!!"  
  
A wave of cold energy swept over the landing gear of two of the  
  
jets, freezing them instantly. Suddenly more brittle than glass, the  
  
gear snapped under the weight above them, and the jets skidded to a halt,  
  
stirring up a huge cloud of dusk in their wake. *Oh, dear,* Luna thought  
  
upon seeing the extant of the wreckage, *I hope they're insured.*  
  
Jeddite clenched his fists in rage while Mercury, visor deployed,  
  
looked for Mars amid the swirling dust. "Not bad, little Mercury, but  
  
too late to save your friend. Now it's your turn!"  
  
Mercury turned to him, but instead of cringing in fear as he  
  
expected, she simply smile slightly. "We'll see about that!" she said  
  
in a defiant tone. Jeddite snarled and drew his hand back, ready to blast  
  
her out of existence, then hesitated. She showed no signs of preparing  
  
to run, just standing there staring resolutely at him. What was she up  
  
to?  
  
Jeddite shook off his doubts. It didn't matter. He started to bring  
  
his hand forward just as he sensed something land behind him. But before  
  
he could turn around, there was a light touch on his back. "EVIL SPIRIT...  
  
BEGONE!" Mars cried, planting the ward.  
  
"NOOO!" Jeddite howled as he felt himself paralyzed. Mars leapt past  
  
him and joined up with Sailor Mercury. The Negaverse general struggled  
  
against the power binding him. They may have the advantage for now, but  
  
he would soon break free, and then...  
  
Wait a minute... What was that shadow looming over him?  
  
Jeddite cried out again, this time in horror, as the realization of  
  
his situation hit him. Still intent on following Mars, the last jet  
  
continued lumbering towards her... heading straight for Jeddite. "This  
  
is for Sailor Moon, Jeddite!" There was a brief scream as the airliner  
  
ran over him, then silence as the jet ground to a halt. No sign of  
  
Jeddite remained.  
  
A safe distance away, Mercury and Mars exchanged a high five.  
  
"Scratch one Negacreep."  
  
Dax uttered a couple of choice Klingon curses that Curzon had favored  
  
in his day and leaned back in her chair. "I take it you're not having any  
  
luck?" Kira asked unnecessarily.  
  
"You could say that. I've conducted almost every type of scan I can  
  
imagine, but there isn't even a *hint* of a temporal anomaly anywhere in  
  
this system."  
  
Kira's brow furrowed. "There's got to be something! Otherwise,  
  
how could the timeline here have gotten so skewed?"  
  
"I don't know," Dax replied with a sigh. She stared at the monitor,  
  
then leaned forward and began manipulating the sensor controls again.  
  
"Trying a new scan?"  
  
"Yes, but this time I'm just looking for spatial anomalies. Maybe  
  
the change of pace will give me another idea." Within a matter of seconds  
  
the sensors beeped, indicating the detection of what Dax had been scanning  
  
for. "Well, that was simple enough. Still, the only anomalies detected  
  
are the quantum fluxes..." The science officer did a double take, both  
  
her eyebrows shooting upward. "Wait a minute... *Two* quantum fluxes?!?"  
  
"What's so unusual about that? Isn't that how the original  
  
Enterprise got here in the first place?"  
  
"It did... but their scans, *and* those of the Enterprise D,  
  
indicated only one in this solar system." She pointed to the monitor  
  
screen. "That quantum flux leads to a point near the Romulan Neutral Zone  
  
in the twenty third century. But this one," she indicated the second flux  
  
located midway between the orbit of Earth and Mars, "I have no idea where  
  
it came from or where it goes." A contemplative look came over her face.  
  
"Unless..."  
  
Kira watched her intently, then finally asked, "Unless what?"  
  
"I think I know where it goes. And if I'm right, I have a good idea  
  
how history was changed." Dax moved over to the nearby engineering station  
  
and began working furiously. "I'm going to program a probe to send through  
  
the second flux and return. Then I'll know for certain."  
  
Dax's tone sounded extremely apprehensive to Kira. And anything  
  
that could make someone with seven lifetimes of experience anxious made  
  
her feel almost terrified. "And if you are?"  
  
Dax paused, then look over at Kira. "Then I hope the Prophets are  
  
watching over us."  
  
O'Brien uttered a curse and looked menacingly at the log buoy. "I'd  
  
like to wring the neck of your designer. If you were half as  
  
indestructible as they claim, we'd have finished by now!"  
  
"Tell me about it," Muniz added. The other engineer looked as  
  
frustrated as O'Brien. "The entire buoy recorder interface system is  
  
fried."  
  
The Chief took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. A  
  
little bit, anyway. "Well, to be charitable the buoy did survive a warp  
  
core explosion more or less intact. But we're going to have to fashion a  
  
replacement interface to hook the memory bank directly into the main  
  
computer."  
  
"With this?" Muniz looked doubtful.  
  
"What's the matter?" asked O'Brien, putting a light hearted tone in  
  
his voice. "Can't handle a challenge?"  
  
"A challenge is one thing... but this is near impossible! We're  
  
talking about ancient electronics here!"  
  
"And here I thought you were an engineer." O'Brien tried to sound  
  
disappointed. "Well, if you can't handle it..."  
  
"I didn't say that," Muniz interrupted the Chief. He stared at  
  
the disassembled recorder , running through several possible scenarios in  
  
his mind. "Well... we might be able to fashion a replacement interface  
  
port and then hook it up to tricorder and use it to link to the main  
  
computer."  
  
"Good lad," O'Brien said. "You get about making the new port, and  
  
I'll get on with modifying the tricorder." The two engineers set about  
  
their respective tasks in silence.  
  
Muniz had just begun installing the new dataport when a distant  
  
clanging sound made him look up. "Did you hear that?" he asked O'Brien.  
  
He nodded uncertainly. "Yeah. It sounded like it came from the  
  
Jeffries tube." The two of them went over to the access panel. O'Brien  
  
bent down to the panel, then warned Muniz, "Be ready. The last time I  
  
heard something banging around in here, there was a changeling running  
  
around the ship a couple of days later." Muniz nodded, drawing out his  
  
phaser. O'Brien removed the access panel and looked inside. Seeing  
  
nothing dangerous at first glance he cautiously moved into the tube, his  
  
own weapon drawn. Nothing that way...  
  
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you, Chief," came a voice from behind him.  
  
Startled, he turned rapidly towards the voice.  
  
Or rather, he tried to. A loud thud echoed through the Jeffries  
  
tube. "OW!"  
  
"Oh, dear. Did I startle you?" Luna asked apologetically.  
  
O'Brien rubbed his head painfully and glared at the black cat.  
  
"You could say that. What the hell are you doing in here, Luna?"  
  
"I thought I'd walk around the ship while I did some thinking.  
  
Unfortunately, I got so wrapped up in thinking that I seem to be..."  
  
She paused, seemingly embarrassed. "...lost."  
  
Despite his aching head, O'Brien chuckled. "That's not hard to do  
  
in here, even a ship as small as the Defiant. These conduits look a lot  
  
alike. It takes a while to get to know your way around them." He backed  
  
out of the tube entrance, allowing Luna to enter the engine room. "We're  
  
a little busy at the moment, but if you don't mind waiting I can take you  
  
wherever you need to go."  
  
"Thank you, Chief."  
  
Muniz looked confused. "Chief?"  
  
O'Brien had to grin. He had pretty much felt the same the first time  
  
he saw one of the Sailor Scouts feline friends. "Not to worry Muniz.  
  
She's a friendly cat. Luna, this is Enrique Muniz, one of my engineers."  
  
"Hello, Mr. Muniz. It's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"Um... yeah, thanks... Uh, Luna," the engineer stammered. Trying to  
  
recover, he continued, "Sorry, but a talking cat is not something I ever  
  
expected to see."  
  
"Well you better get used to seeing the unexpected, mister," O'Brien  
  
told him. "That is, if you really want to make a career for yourself in  
  
Starfleet."  
  
"It's quite alright, Chief. I get that reaction quite often." Luna  
  
looked at the scorched log buoy with interest. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, we're trying to access the log recordings on this buoy," he  
  
responded, turning back to his work. "We already know the Jem'Hadar  
  
destroyed this ship, but it'd be nice to know who it was they attacked.  
  
Captain Sisko thinks this might give us some clue as to what's going on."  
  
Muniz snapped the new port into place, while O'Brien attached and  
  
activated the tricorder. "There! Now, if we did this right..."  
  
He activated the controls on his panel to link up the buoy with the  
  
Defiant's main computer. "Access confirmed," the computer's voice said.  
  
O'Brien cried out triumphantly and shared a congratulatory glance  
  
with Muniz. "Computer: access last log entry and playback." There was  
  
a pause while the computer retrieved the requested data from the buoy.  
  
Soon the screen showed the bridge of a starship from a bird's eye view.  
  
Unfortunately, both visual and audio were filled with static.  
  
"What's wrong with the recording?" Luna asked.  
  
"Good question. Muniz?"  
  
He glanced at the tricorder readouts. "The dataflow looks clean.  
  
There must have been damage to the memory banks as well."  
  
"Well, let's just hope it wasn't too bad," O'Brien replied, turning  
  
back to the control panel. "Computer: run a level one data enhancement /  
  
noise suppression routine on the requested log entry." The computer  
  
chirped an affirmative as it ran the requested programs. "Replay from  
  
the beginning." The screen cleared somewhat and the audio became  
  
discernable. "Better," he observed.  
  
"The date is consistent with the electronics," Muniz added,  
  
indicating one of the readouts. "Stardate 5046.7. Just about a little  
  
over one hundred years ago."  
  
O'Brien replied by way of a nod as he eyed the bridge layout  
  
critically, "Looks like a Constitution class, too."  
  
"A what?" asked a puzzled cat.  
  
O'Brien ignored her for now, paying close attention to the events  
  
unfolding before him. The ship was rocking heavily under the attack,  
  
making it hard to hear the crew. The static still present didn't make  
  
it any easier.  
  
"Shields are ineffective," he heard the science officer report.  
  
"The enemy vessels are utilizing a phased polaron beam." Another  
  
readout displayed the viewscreen image, showing clearly a Jem'Hadar  
  
attack ship. O'Brien felt a twinge sympathy for the other crew.  
  
Dominion weaponry was still giving research scientists at Starfleet  
  
Tactical fits. Current models of starships were barely a match for  
  
Jem'Hadar ships... one from a hundred years ago wouldn't have a chance.  
  
"Stand by phasers and photon torpedoes," ordered the captain.  
  
"Weapons ready," said the helmsman. "Locked on target."  
  
"FIRE!"  
  
The bridge lights dimmed as the weapons were discharged. "Got him!"  
  
exclaimed the navigator.  
  
"Direct hit," the science officer said calmly despite the chaos  
  
surrounding him. "Target has been destroyed." The bridge shook again  
  
and several panels exploded in a shower of sparks as the ship was hit  
  
by incoming fire. When the screen cleared again, several crew could be  
  
seen lying prone on the deck, including the helmsman.  
  
"Uhura, send out a distress signal. Priority One." The captain  
  
could be seen toggling the intercom switch on his command chair, while  
  
the science officer ran over to take the helm. "Sickbay, medical  
  
emergency on the bridge."  
  
"Where the hell isn't there one?!" came the exasperated reply.  
  
"Jim, I've got casualty reports coming on from all over --"  
  
The intercom whistled, overriding the signal from Sickbay. "Scott  
  
to bridge. Captain, we're losing antimatter containment! Ejection  
  
systems offline!" O'Brien blinked. Scott? That couldn't possibly  
  
be -- ? No, it was impossible!  
  
"All hands, abandon ship! Repeat --" The bridge view was cut  
  
off suddenly, indicating to the two engineers that the recorder pod  
  
had been automatically jettisoned. It was replaced by an external view  
  
of a Constitution class ship receding in the distance. The once  
  
immaculate white hull was blackened in several places by weapons fire,  
  
and several energy discharges could be seen coruscating over several  
  
hull breaches. Less than a second later, the starship exploded in a  
  
blinding display, then the terminal went blank as the recording ended.  
  
O'Brien stared at the terminal in shock, as did Muniz. "Oh my God.  
  
That ship's service number... it can't be!"  
  
"What's wrong?" the cat asked, mystified.  
  
"That ship... it's a ship from over a hundred years in our past. But  
  
the stardate given in the log was almost twenty years before it was  
  
destroyed! Unless..." He took his tricorder and scanned the log buoy.  
  
The sinking feeling that had developed in his gut grew worse as he saw the  
  
results. "O'Brien to Sisko."  
  
"Go ahead, Chief."  
  
"We've got a problem, Captain. An even bigger problem than we thought."  
  
Worf sat back and tried to take in all that Mars and Mercury had told  
  
him. Some of what they had said was similar to the past that Luna had  
  
related to him on the Enterprise, but there were some significant  
  
differences. In this timeline, the two Scouts had been able to save  
  
Neflyte. Afterwards, the defecting General in turn helped the Scouts,  
  
joined soon afterward by Jupiter, in the search for the Rainbow Crystals.  
  
Until, that is, he died heroically, saving the Scouts from a trap Malachite  
  
had laid for them in a bid to gain those they had. Venus' timely arrival  
  
that day had prevented Malachite and Zoisite from getting their hands on  
  
them that day.  
  
Another difference was that apparently the relationship between Mars  
  
and Darien, whom they discovered later to be Tuxedo Mask, was much stronger  
  
than in the original timeline. At least as far as she had been concerned.  
  
Worf was pondering whether or not to reveal the truth about Darien and  
  
Serena to her when the intercom beeped. "Sisko to Worf."  
  
"Worf here," he answered.  
  
"Report to the bridge, Commander. And bring the Sailor Scouts with  
  
you."  
  
Worf nodded. "We are on our way. Worf out."  
  
Mars looked quizzically at Worf. "What's going on?" she asked as  
  
they rose from the table.  
  
"I'm not sure," he answered, leading them out of the mess hall.  
  
Turning down the corridor to the bridge he continued, "Most likely  
  
Commander Dax or Chief O'Brien have uncovered something pertinent in  
  
their investigations that should be made known to the entire crew. But  
  
we will find out when we get there."  
  
The trio arrived on the bridge, arriving shortly after Bashir did.  
  
Worf saw that most of the other senior officers were already present,  
  
with only Chief O'Brien yet to arrive. "Worf, where's Luna?" Dax asked.  
  
The Klingon shifted slightly, uncomfortable at having to admit  
  
ignorance. Presently he said, "She took a walk."  
  
"If you need her here, Mars and I could go looking for her,"  
  
Mercury volunteered.  
  
At that moment O'Brien entered the bridge with Luna riding on his  
  
shoulder, thus rendering the point moot.  
  
"New friend, Chief?" Dax asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"You'd better be careful," Kira advised, her tone light. "Keiko  
  
could get jealous if she finds out."  
  
Several good natured smiles were exchanged as the Chief sputtered  
  
denials, while Luna settled for glaring at Kira. Sisko allowed the good  
  
mood to progress at it's own pace. After all, things had been tense on  
  
the ship for quite some time and they all needed a chance to laugh at  
  
something. "Chief, it's your show."  
  
"Yes, sir," he replied. He glanced uncomfortably around the room.  
  
The information he had clearly disturbed him far more than Kira's  
  
bantering had. "I analyzed the log recorder we picked up from the ship  
  
the Jem'Hadar destroyed. I was able to reconstruct the last log entry,  
  
and to identify it. It was a Starfleet ship, Constitution class." He  
  
touched a control and the image of the unfortunate starship appeared on  
  
the main viewscreen. He tapped several others, enlarging and enhancing  
  
a particular area of one of the warp engine nacelles. The computer  
  
quickly cleared any distortion from the image and the ship's service  
  
number became clear for all to see.  
  
NCC-1701.  
  
"It's..." Dax began in a stunned voice.  
  
"...the Enterprise," concluded Sisko. He had been half expecting  
  
this since the moment O'Brien had scanned the debris field, but it still  
  
came as a shock to him. "The original, captained by James T. Kirk. And  
  
from it's appearance, this was before the refit that was done after the  
  
five year mission was completed."  
  
"That can't be right!" Bashir objected after several moments of  
  
shocked silence. "It was nearly twenty years after the refit before that  
  
particular Enterprise was destroyed."  
  
"In our timeline, Julian," Dax said. "Chief, did you check the  
  
quantum signature of the recorder?"  
  
He was nodding before she finished asking the question. "Yes.  
  
It's definitely from our timeline, not any alternate one."  
  
"Then, if Kirk's ship was destroyed by the Jem'Hadar, that would  
  
mean it's not just the Scouts timeline that's been changed," Odo said.  
  
"Correct, Constable." Sisko eyed the image of the Enterprise. "It  
  
means our own past has been altered as well. And now, even if we do  
  
find a way back to our universe, we haven't got a home to return to."  
  
"The Sisko is aware of the nature of the problem."  
  
Pluto nodded. "Good," she said. "Now we can get on with a solution.  
  
Though I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to see the full  
  
scope of the situation."  
  
*Did you really expect more of them?* a voice intoned in her head.  
  
*For someone as long lived as yourself, you should realize how plodding  
  
and pedantic these Starfleet people can be.*  
  
"You're supposed to be watching the Gateway, Q," she replied, her  
  
tone indicating she was more than slightly annoyed. "I am more concerned  
  
with results, not how stylish they go about accomplishing them."  
  
*Humph. Sometimes you can be absolutely no fun at all, my dear.*  
  
Pluto tried to ignore Q and returned attention to the Prophet she  
  
was dealing with, but she found herself gazing once more at sights she  
  
never thought to see again.. As is their wont, the Prophet had shifted  
  
form without warning, assuming the appearance of Queen Serenity and the  
  
background had shifted to that of the Silver Millennium.  
  
It was a rare occurrence indeed when Pluto found herself thrown for  
  
a loop.  
  
"Our existence is at risk," the Prophet said, bringing the Sailor  
  
Scout out of her reverie. All around them, the background lighting began  
  
to take on a reddish hue. "The Sisko must succeed."  
  
"I know," Pluto said, growing more concerned. The changes to the  
  
environment around them was an indication that the situation was becoming  
  
more dire. Time, at least as it was measured by corporeal beings, was  
  
growing short. "And not just for you. For the sake of two universes,  
  
Captain Sisko must reverse the damage done to the timelines, and soon.  
  
But now he is aware of what must be done to resolve the paradox.  
  
"To preserve their past, Sailor Moon must live."  
  
Next time: The last pieces of the puzzle fall into place, as Pluto makes  
  
her presence known to the crew and helps get them on the road to a  
  
solution to this temporal jumble. All this and more in Chapter 5,  
  
"Return to yesterday..." 


	5. Chapter 5 - Return to yesterday...

Sailor Trek DS9  
  
soton@aol.com (Soton)  
  
Chapter 5 - Return to yesterday...  
  
Luna hopped down from O'Brien's shoulder onto the top of Sisko's chair.  
  
"Now, let me  
  
see if I've got this straight," she said. "Three ships from what you call  
  
the  
  
Dominion  
  
were accidently transported to our universe nine months ago our time. They  
  
were then  
  
somehow captured and controlled by the Negaverse. They used the changeling  
  
in  
  
and  
  
attempt to kill all three Scouts, but only were successful in kill... in  
  
killing Sailor Moon."  
  
Her voice broke at the last, and she paused as the memories of that terrible  
  
day raced  
  
through her mind. After a time, she was able to control the emotions that  
  
had  
  
inevitably  
  
risen up from them. "Still, that was more than enough to alter the course  
  
of  
  
events for  
  
our world. Then yesterday, as Queen Beryl was about to mount her main  
  
attack  
  
and the  
  
Sailor Scouts went to face her; this ship," she nodded to the main  
  
viewscreen  
  
which still  
  
displayed an image of the unfortunate starship, "the Enterprise, crossed  
  
over  
  
from your past to our universe. It was subsequently attacked by the Dominion  
  
ships and destroyed,  
  
thus altering your past."  
  
"That about sums it up," Dax replied. "About the only thing you missed  
  
was the fact  
  
that there are now two quantum fluxes in this system, where there should be  
  
only one."  
  
"How can I leave something out if I don't know about it?" the balck cat  
  
wanted to know.  
  
Dax smiled. "Sorry."  
  
"Do you have any information about that second flux, Dax?" Sisko asked.  
  
"You could say that." She pulled up a sensor schematic on the main  
  
viewer. "I sent a  
  
probe through the second flux and programmed it to return after taking some  
  
sensor  
  
readings. The exit point is in the Gamma Quadrant. The probe's astrometric  
  
readings  
  
indicated that it's been several months since we left DS9."  
  
"Months?" O'Brien exclaimed.  
  
Dax nodded. "That's right. And the coordinates that the flux emerges  
  
into the Gamma  
  
Quadrant are identical to where the Defiant observed three Jem'Hadar ships  
  
vanish a few  
  
days before we left the station." She paused. "The thing of it is, I had  
  
just  
  
come to that  
  
conclusion, that they had gone through a quantum flux, just before the  
  
wormhole  
  
began  
  
acting up."  
  
"But you have no idea where the second flux came from?" Sisko asked.  
  
"Not a clue," the science officer admitted.  
  
"It's a moot point anyway," Sisko said. "Without a method to travel  
  
back  
  
in time, we  
  
have no way to correct the timelines."  
  
"Great," Mars mumbled. "So we're back to square one."  
  
"I'm afraid so," the captain agreed.  
  
Dax bent down to check an alert that had just started flashing on her  
  
screen. "I'm  
  
picking up a large neutrino emission..." She looked up, surprise evident on  
  
her face.  
  
"Benjamin, it's the wormhole!"  
  
"On screen," Sisko ordered.  
  
On command, the image of the now open wormhole appeared on the main  
  
viewer. Sisko  
  
noted that it still had a shimmering appearance, as well as the red  
  
coloration.  
  
"That's incredible," Mercury said, awe evident in her tone.  
  
"Yes," Luna agreed, "it is."  
  
Mars would ordinarily agree as well, but she was perceiving something  
  
else  
  
entirely  
  
from the phenomena. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to sort out the  
  
impressions  
  
she was  
  
getting. "There's something wrong with it, isn't there?"  
  
"Yes," Kira said. "It doesn't look anything like it normally would."  
  
Bashir voiced a question that each member of the Defiant crew were  
  
asking  
  
themselves.  
  
"We've been stationary here for hours. Why would it open up now?"  
  
Sisko could only think of one reason. "It's an invitation from the  
  
wormhole aliens." He  
  
seated himself in the command chair and faced the viewscreen. "And I intend  
  
to  
  
take them  
  
up on it. Dax, decloak the ship and take us into the wormhole."  
  
"Yes, sir," Dax said, moving to the helm.  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing, Captain," Luna said uneasily from  
  
her  
  
perch just  
  
behind Sisko's head.  
  
"We'll find out soon enough," Sisko answered her just as the Defiant  
  
entered the  
  
wormhole. At once the ship began rocking as it was buffeted by the  
  
gravimetric  
  
distortions  
  
that were still echoing through the spatial corridor. All present on the  
  
bridge immediately took a seat or grabbed onto a firm handhold to avoid  
  
being  
  
tossed about.  
  
"All stop," Sisko ordered soon after they entered. Dax touched a  
  
control  
  
on the helm and  
  
the Defiant slowed to a halt within the wormhole. But even at rest, the  
  
ship  
  
was pitching  
  
about as if on a heavy sea.  
  
"Can't you do something about that?" Mars asked, starting to turn a  
  
light  
  
shade of green.  
  
"I'm trying," O'Brien replied. "But the gravimetric waves are strong  
  
enough that the  
  
inertial dampeners are having a hard time..."  
  
The ship vanished around them.  
  
"... compensating for it," O'Brien uncertainly finished his statement  
  
as  
  
he took in his new  
  
surroundings. The others looked about themselves feeling an equal sense of  
  
astonishment.  
  
To all appearances, they were back in Ops on Deep Space Nine.  
  
Sisko knew instantly that they had been brought to the reality of the  
  
wormhole aliens.  
  
It seemed that he was correct about being given an invitation. One that  
  
seemed  
  
to extend to his crew and the Sailor Scouts as well.  
  
The Scouts and Luna were more puzzled than any of the crew. Mars was  
  
casting about  
  
the place, trying to sense something about it, while Mercury deployed her  
  
visor  
  
and then  
  
frowned. "I don't understand. I'm not getting any readings."  
  
"Don't be worried about that," Dax told her. "If I'm right, we're not  
  
in  
  
our own reality at  
  
all."  
  
"Then were are we?" Luna asked.  
  
"In the realm of the Prophets," Kira answered in a hushed, reverent  
  
tone.  
  
"That is correct," a new voice said. They all turned to the entrance  
  
of  
  
Sisko's office.  
  
Standing there was a woman Sisko recognized from the last transit through  
  
the  
  
wormhole --  
  
Sailor Pluto. "You are in the realm of the Prophets. However, at the  
  
moment  
  
they can't  
  
greet you personally at the moment, as they are otherwise occupied."  
  
"Occupied?" Kira asked.  
  
"Yes," she replied, stepping down the steps into the lower level of  
  
Ops.  
  
"You see, you are  
  
not the only ones affected by the turmoil in the timelines. The Prophets  
  
themselves are in  
  
danger. Mortal danger."  
  
Kira's jaw dropped, but before she could say more Mars asked, "Hold on  
  
a  
  
minute. Who  
  
are you?!?"  
  
"I can answer that," Sisko said. "Everyone, meet Sailor Pluto."  
  
"Pluto?" Luna gasped. "The guardian of the Gate of Time?"  
  
"That's correct, Luna," she replied.  
  
"You know her?" Mercury demanded of the cat.  
  
"She does," Pluto said, "But it has been a long time since we last met.  
  
During the days of  
  
the Silver Millennium, to be precise. And the long time she spent in the  
  
cold  
  
sleep capsule  
  
undoubtedly affected her memory."  
  
"I'm glad to finally meet you," Sisko said, walking up to Pluto. "But  
  
just  
  
what did you  
  
mean when you said the Prophets are in danger?"  
  
The background scenery then changed, disorienting the Defiant crew.  
  
But  
  
the new  
  
backdrop was a very familiar sight to Mars, Mercury and Luna, as it was the  
  
temple Raye  
  
lived and worked at -- the Hikawa shrine. But Pluto answered Sisko as if  
  
nothing had  
  
changed, "Exactly what I said, Captain. But it will take some explaining.  
  
"You see, Beryl won't be content with just Earth... or even just this  
  
universe. Her lust  
  
for power and conquest is nearly unlimited. She will send her forces  
  
through  
  
the second  
  
quantum flux Commander Dax discovered, invading your Gamma Quadrant.  
  
Empowered  
  
by the  
  
Negaforce, her troops will overrun the Dominion in short order." The  
  
Defiant  
  
crewmembers  
  
seemed stunned by this announcement. To them, the forces of the Dominion  
  
seemed nearly  
  
unstoppable. The fact that Beryl's troops could conquer the Gamma Quadrant  
  
power that  
  
quickly seemed incredible to them. Pluto continued, "And still she will  
  
hunger  
  
for more...  
  
And she will send her forces through the wormhole into the Alpha Quadrant."  
  
"The Federation will fight them," Worf stated firmly.  
  
"They cannot," Pluto said. "Because in this timeline, there is *no*  
  
Federation."  
  
"No Federation?" Even the usually unflappable Odo seemed shocked by  
  
this  
  
announcement.  
  
"I see what she's getting at," Sisko said. "Without the Enterprise  
  
returning from it's  
  
five year mission, there'll be no one to confront Vejur shortly afterwards."  
  
Pluto nodded. "Correct, Captain. The advanced probe will reduce the  
  
core  
  
worlds of the  
  
Federation to lifeless husks before it leaves; rendering what is left of the  
  
Federation easy  
  
prey to a concerted Romulan/Klingon attack."  
  
Again the background changed, forming into one of the briefing rooms on  
  
Deep Space  
  
Nine. Each of them was seated at the table, save for Pluto. She moved  
  
around  
  
the table  
  
still speaking, "In this altered Alpha Quadrant, three main powers vie for  
  
supremacy: the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Cardassians. Nothing remains  
  
of  
  
the Federation, save for a few isolated colony worlds."  
  
Kira leaned anxiously forward, "What about Bajor?"  
  
Pluto cast a sympathetic look to her. "I'm afraid it's still dominated  
  
by  
  
the  
  
Cardassians." In a blink of an eye, they found themselves on the Promenade.  
  
"This is the  
  
station as it appears in what you would call the present." Sisko, Kira and  
  
the  
  
others looked  
  
about, but there was not a Starfleet uniform to be seen. Nor were any  
  
uniforms  
  
of the  
  
Bajoran militia visible. All they could see were Cardassians troops... and  
  
Bajoran slave  
  
laborers shuffling to and from the station's ore processing facilities. "Of  
  
course, it is still  
  
called Terok Nor."  
  
Kira looked horrified. "May the Prophets save us."  
  
"They cannot," Pluto replied evenly. "Now it is up to you to save them  
  
from the  
  
Negaforce." The Hikawa shrine reformed about them, but Kira seemed  
  
oblivious  
  
to the  
  
changes. She walked up to Pluto and stared evenly at the mysterious Sailor  
  
Scout.  
  
When she spoke, her voice was low and tense. "How can the Prophets be  
  
in  
  
danger from  
  
the Negaforce?"  
  
Mercury spoke up. "When Beryl sent her forces into the Alpha Quadrant  
  
through the  
  
wormhole, she sent the Negaforce as well," she theorized.  
  
"Correct," Pluto confirmed. "And it was during it's passage through  
  
that  
  
it came into  
  
conflict with the Prophets." She cast a sympathetic gaze to Kira. "Their  
  
power may be  
  
great, Major, but even they have their limits. And the Negaforce surpasses  
  
them. They  
  
*are* fighting the Negaforce... But it is a fight they are slowly losing."  
  
"Then that's the reason for the wormhole's odd behavior -- and for the  
  
changes in it's  
  
appearance," Dax said. "It's a result of the struggle between them."  
  
"Correct," Pluto said again.  
  
"Since the wormhole aliens exist outside linear time," Dax continued,  
  
more  
  
so for Mars',  
  
Mercury's and Luna's benefit than anyone else's, "a struggle between them  
  
and  
  
an equally  
  
powerful opponent would have repercussions in all areas of time -- past,  
  
present, future...  
  
It's all the same to them."  
  
"There's just one thing I'd like to know," Sisko said as they found  
  
themselves once more  
  
in Ops. "How did all this start? I know the Jem'Hadar ships coming through  
  
the flux was  
  
the trigger for the changes to the timelines, but where did that second flux  
  
come from?  
  
They don't just appear out of thin air."  
  
"You're quite correct, Captain. They don't." Pluto looked to Worf,  
  
"But  
  
if you want to  
  
know how it appeared, you should ask Worf... for he helped bring about it's  
  
creation."  
  
The Klingon looked confused. "Me?" Pluto nodded.  
  
"Of course," Dax said in sudden realization. "I should have seen it  
  
before."  
  
"Seen what before?" Odo asked.  
  
"This isn't another quantum flux... It's the same one traversed by both  
  
Enterprises. But  
  
when the Enterprise D attempted to seal it, all the torpedo did was to  
  
relocate  
  
the flux  
  
through time and space on both sides of it. Thus in our universe, one end  
  
of  
  
the flux was  
  
relocated to the Gamma Quadrant, while here, the other side was shifted to a  
  
point halfway  
  
between the orbits of Earth and Mars and a point in time a hundred years  
  
earlier."  
  
"Essentially correct," Pluto confirmed. "Picard's desire to seal the  
  
flux  
  
was well  
  
intentioned, but it led directly to this temporal paradox we find ourselves  
  
in  
  
the middle of."  
  
"My God," muttered O'Brien. "Then Q was right. Captain Picard is going  
  
to  
  
have a fit when  
  
he hears about this."  
  
Worf grimaced at the thought of Q being right about anything, then  
  
straightened as he  
  
heard laughter echo through his mind, followed by, "I told you so,  
  
Microbrain."  
  
Pluto frowned. "Q may lack in several in the area of social graces,"  
  
she  
  
said pointedly to  
  
the air above them, "but he does tell the truth... For the most part, at any  
  
rate."  
  
"You sound as if you know him quite well," Bashir observed.  
  
"We've been... acquainted with each other for several centuries," she  
  
replied.  
  
"Centuries?" O'Brien looked over Pluto closely. To all appearances,  
  
Pluto seemed to be a  
  
woman no older than her mid-twenties. "How old are you?"  
  
Pluto raised an eyebrow and her expression showed slight amusement.  
  
"Really, Chief  
  
O'Brien. As a married man, I would expect you to know better than to ask a  
  
woman her age."  
  
The scenery shifted to the temple once again while O'Brien tried to avoid  
  
looking to  
  
flustered. "Ignoring that, what must be done to repair the timeline..."  
  
"...is to prevent the Negaverse from taking control of the Dominion  
  
ships," Sisko said.  
  
"Failing that, we must prevent them from interrupting the normal flow of  
  
history."  
  
"In short, keep them from killing Sailor Moon," Mercury added.  
  
"And either one of you," Worf said.  
  
"Correct," Pluto said with a nod.  
  
"OK, so we know what to do," Mars said. "But there's still the small  
  
problem of time  
  
travel. Or have you got a way around that?"  
  
"I can provide a means for several people to travel in time," Pluto  
  
admitted. "But that  
  
would be of little value to us, for to properly contain the threat you...  
  
*We*  
  
will need the  
  
Defiant. That would be extremely difficult for me to handle alone." She  
  
paused and smiled.  
  
"But not when one has the assistance of the Prophets."  
  
They blinked, disoriented at finding themselves back on the Defiant's  
  
bridge. "We've  
  
emerged from the wormhole," Kira announced after checking her panel  
  
readouts.  
  
"Chief, get us back under cloak. Dax, I need a report on out  
  
location...  
  
Both spatially and  
  
temporally." Moving to comply with Sisko's orders, O'Brien tapped the  
  
controls  
  
activating  
  
the borrowed Romulan cloaking device installed in the Defiant. Meanwhile,  
  
Dax  
  
consulted  
  
with the navigational computer.  
  
"Spatially, we're still in the Terran system right where the wormhole  
  
opened up on us.  
  
But temporally..." She paused to recheck the astrometric readouts. "We've  
  
shifted back in  
  
time just about nine months."  
  
"Confirmed," Mercury said, checking with her own computer. "We're now  
  
four days  
  
before..."  
  
"...before Sailor Moon was killed," a voice from the bridge rear said.  
  
Sisko turned, but he  
  
wasn't surprised to see Sailor Pluto standing there. "But a full day before  
  
the Jem'Hadar  
  
ships emerge from the quantum flux into this universe. You have that long  
  
to  
  
prepare for  
  
them."  
  
"Very well," Sisko said. "Now..."  
  
"Hold on a minute. There's something I want answered first." Mars  
  
went  
  
up to Pluto and  
  
glared at her. "You've just about admitted that you could have brought the  
  
Defiant here at  
  
any point in the timeline." Her voice became more strident the longer she  
  
spoke. "What I  
  
want to know is, why the *hell* didn't you bring them before Serena was  
  
killed  
  
in the first  
  
place?!?"  
  
"I think I can answer that," Odo said. The constable moved over to the  
  
two Scouts. "So  
  
that there would be no shred of doubt with the Defiant's crew over the  
  
decision  
  
to interfere  
  
with events in this universe."  
  
Mars seemed astounded at this. "What?!?"  
  
"I'm afraid Odo is correct," Pluto put in. "Whenever Starfleet crews  
  
have  
  
found  
  
themselves in the past, they are reluctant to take action unless they are  
  
absolutely certain  
  
that action is required." She turned to Sisko, "Not that this is a bad  
  
thing,  
  
you understand."  
  
"But why..." Mars began.  
  
"Mars, please try to understand," Pluto said gently. "If there were  
  
another way to do  
  
this, I would have taken it. But I must do everything I can to ensure that  
  
the  
  
timeline is corrected. It would have been difficult to convince them that  
  
they  
  
should interfere is I had brought them here prior to the formation of the  
  
paradox. And given that we would have only  
  
one chance to restore the timeline, it was a risk I was unwilling to take."  
  
"But still..." Mars tried again.  
  
"Raye..." Pluto stopped for a moment before continuing. "If Captain  
  
Sisko  
  
and his people  
  
are successful, then the events you have lived through since Sailor Moon was  
  
killed;  
  
including the deaths of Lita, Mina and Artemis; will have never happened.  
  
All  
  
will proceed  
  
as it should have before the Dominion ships arrived. And your past self  
  
will  
  
be totally  
  
ignorant of what might have been."  
  
"And we're going to stop it from happening," Sisko said forcefully.  
  
"But  
  
we haven't got  
  
time to waste. Chief, Dax, Worf: Begin a full systems check of the ship,  
  
and  
  
concentrate on  
  
the tactical systems. We're going to have company in twenty four hours, and  
  
I  
  
want to be  
  
ready for them."  
  
Each of the three officers nodded in affirmation. But O'Brien added,  
  
"Sir, just so you're  
  
aware; the ablative armor over the aft section was degraded thirty percent  
  
in  
  
our last  
  
battle. And there's not much I can do to repair it without the facilities  
  
at  
  
DS9, or a  
  
starbase."  
  
"I understand, Chief. Just do what you can." He turned to Kira.  
  
"Major,  
  
there's a  
  
possibility that they may get past us. To that end I want you and Odo to  
  
work  
  
in  
  
coordination with Mercury, Mars and Luna and devise a plan to protect Sailor  
  
Moon on the ground... just in case."  
  
Kira nodded. "Yes, sir."  
  
"And just what are you going to be doing?" Luna inquired.  
  
"Having a long discussion with our guest over the course of future  
  
events," the captain  
  
answered, giving Pluto a long look. "Dismissed."  
  
The others moved off on their appointed tasks, but Dax took Sisko aside  
  
for a moment.  
  
"Benjamin, I don't know if this will have any bearing on the mission, but I  
  
thought you  
  
should know."  
  
"Know what, Dax?"  
  
"I scanned Pluto a few moment ago." She paused momentarily, seeming  
  
uncertain. "For  
  
the most part the readings from her seemed consistent with those I got from  
  
the  
  
other  
  
Scouts, except for one thing."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"The orb atop her staff." Dax paused again. "I'm not sure what it  
  
means,  
  
but the readings  
  
I got from it are *very* similar to those I've gotten from the Orbs of the  
  
Prophets."  
  
Sisko considered this. "Given the nature of her duties as described by  
  
Luna, I can't say I  
  
find that too surprising."  
  
"This is going to be a *long* night," Kira said after entering the mess  
  
hall. She went up  
  
to the replicator, "Raktajino, extra strong." As soon as the mug finished  
  
materializing, she  
  
picked it up, took a sip and sighed gratefully. "I'll say this much for the  
  
Klingons, they sure  
  
know how to make a good coffee." Then to the Defiant's guests, "Help  
  
yourselves before we  
  
get started. We've got a lot of ground to cover." She didn't bother to  
  
make  
  
this suggestion  
  
to Odo... She knew quite well that he didn't require any nourishment, nor  
  
did  
  
he ever drink anything, either.  
  
Mars waited while Mercury got ordered another hot chocolate and a  
  
saucer  
  
of cream for  
  
Luna, then she hesitated at the replicator, remembering the multitude of  
  
choices in the  
  
computer for tea. "Do you have any suggestion for a kind of tea?" she asked  
  
Kira. "Anything except Earl Grey."  
  
"Try Tarkalian tea," Odo suggested. "I've observed it to be a favorite  
  
among humanoids  
  
at DS9."  
  
After Kira nodded in confirmation, Mars said, "Computer: Tarkalian  
  
tea."  
  
In short order a  
  
steaming mug appeared. She took a cautious sip and her eyes widened. "This  
  
is  
  
great!"  
  
"OK, let's get started," Kira said. "Mercury, why don't you download  
  
all  
  
the info  
  
regarding the day Sailor Moon was killed into the Defiant's main computer."  
  
The blue haired  
  
Scout nodded and immediately set to the task. "Odo, when that's done, make  
  
a  
  
review with  
  
Luna about the actual battle itself... Tactical setup, lay of the land...  
  
You  
  
know the drill."  
  
"Right, Major."  
  
"Meanwhile, the three of us are going to go over the events leading up  
  
to  
  
it, so we can  
  
plan to cover Serena and your counterparts."  
  
"I don't see why we have to go into all this planning," Mars said. "We  
  
know what the  
  
changeling will masquerade as. Just let me get one good shot at it, and  
  
I'll  
  
kill it before it  
  
can even begin to shapeshift."  
  
"There are two problems with that," Odo said, looking disturbed by  
  
Mars'  
  
statement.  
  
"One, you only know what the changeling was just before it killed Sailor  
  
Moon.  
  
It could be  
  
anything else before that point."  
  
"You've got a point there," Mars said. "What's the second problem?"  
  
"I'd like to avoid killing the changeling, if at all possible."  
  
"What?!? Sailor Moon's life is way more important!"  
  
"In regards to the timeline, that is correct," Odo said calmly.  
  
"However,  
  
in the history  
  
of my people, no changeling has ever harmed another..." A shadowed look  
  
came  
  
over him.  
  
"At least, not until recently." He shook off the lingering memory of that  
  
day,  
  
several  
  
months previous in the Defiant's engine room, when he inadvertently killed  
  
another changeling in a struggle. It hadn't given him much choice, but it  
  
still haunted him that he was responsible for it's death. "I don't want to  
  
abet in the killing of this one... if it can be  
  
avoided."  
  
Kira intervened before Mars could object even more vocally than before.  
  
"We'll try, Odo.  
  
After all, the objective is to save Sailor Moon, not kill the changeling."  
  
She  
  
looked evenly  
  
at Mars until the hot tempered Scout subsided, then turned back to Odo.  
  
"But  
  
Odo, I want  
  
you to understand. If it comes down to it, if it's a choice between the  
  
changeling and Sailor  
  
Moon..."  
  
The constable nodded. "I understand, Major. Securing the timeline is  
  
of  
  
paramount  
  
importance."  
  
"Good, now that that's settled... Let's get to work." Kira motioned to  
  
a  
  
table and sat  
  
down with the two Scouts. Meanwhile Odo went over to the monitor and pulled  
  
up  
  
a tactical  
  
outlay depicting the sight of Sailor Moon's last battle. He was startled to  
  
feel something  
  
land on his shoulder, and saw Luna sitting there.  
  
"Sorry," she said apologetically with a cat-like shrug, "but the view  
  
from  
  
the table isn't  
  
that good."  
  
Before the constable could respond, he heard a burst of laughter from  
  
behind him. He  
  
turned and saw Kira struggling to keep from laughing uncontrollably. Beside  
  
her, both  
  
Mercury and Mars were smiling as well. "Is something funny, Major?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Odo," she said not so sincerely, "But if you were viewing  
  
it  
  
from this angle..."  
  
She stopped, trying to control her mirth.  
  
"I fail to see what is so amusing," Odo said.  
  
"Neither do I," Luna added.  
  
"Well, I can," Mars said. "Don't you Mercury?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Odo snorted and turned back to the monitor. "Humanoids! Sometimes I  
  
can't understand  
  
them at all."  
  
"I couldn't agree with you more," Luna said.  
  
Sisko led Pluto into the small and scarcely used captain's ready room.  
  
"Have a seat," he  
  
said, before doing likewise behind his desk.  
  
"I have a feeling I know what you're planning, Captain," she said as  
  
she  
  
did so. "Don't you  
  
think it would be wiser to attack first, rather than try to negotiate with  
  
the  
  
Dominion  
  
ships first?"  
  
"It's not Federation policy to attack on sight, at least outside of a  
  
wartime situation,"  
  
Sisko explained. "If this can be resolved without bloodshed, then I have to  
  
take the chance."  
  
"I'm not overly optimistic about the chance of that."  
  
Sisko grimaced. "Knowing the Dominion, neither am I. But what I need  
  
to  
  
know from you  
  
is, do I have the chance to even try?"  
  
"Perhaps," Pluto conceded. "Originally, the Dominion ships were here  
  
for  
  
two hours before the Negaverse made any move against them. But I would take  
  
great care with using that figure, Captain. The future is ever in motion."  
  
"Don't worry about that," Sisko said, leaning back in his chair. "I  
  
intend to be ready for  
  
anything."  
  
Nearly twenty four hours later, Sisko took a quick glance around the  
  
bridge, checking on  
  
the readiness of all systems. But as usual, his crew was extremely  
  
efficient.  
  
The Defiant  
  
was as ready as they could make her.  
  
He swung his chair around to face the three Sailor Scouts. "It's  
  
almost  
  
time," He said to  
  
them. "You had better get out of sight before we make contact with them."  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing, Captain," Mars said to him. She  
  
had  
  
been extremely  
  
vocal when he had informed them of his plan to attempt to talk the Jem'Hadar  
  
back through  
  
the flux first. "I still think you should attack the first chance you get."  
  
"Tactically speaking, you're right. However, even with the element of  
  
surprise, three to  
  
one odds against Dominion ships aren't odds I like to face. And a I told  
  
Pluto  
  
earlier: If  
  
there is a chance this can be resolved without bloodshed, then I have to try  
  
to  
  
do so." He  
  
turned toward the main viewscreen. "But don't worry. If it comes to a  
  
fight,  
  
they'll find us  
  
more than a match for them."  
  
"Don't worry Mars," Pluto assured her. "Captain Sisko is more than  
  
aware  
  
of the urgency  
  
of this situation. He'll do what is required."  
  
A sensor alarm sounded. "Picking up a tachyon surge," Dax reported.  
  
"They're coming  
  
through."  
  
Sisko nodded. "Out of sight, you three. If the situation does get  
  
nasty,  
  
I want you as  
  
aces in the hole." Silently the three left the bridge as Sisko seated  
  
himself.  
  
"Here we go.  
  
Red alert." Around the bridge, the alert lights flashed and the klaxon  
  
sounded. It really  
  
wasn't needed, as the crew were already at their action stations.  
  
Sisko kept his attention on the screen, which was focussed on the  
  
quantum  
  
flux. There  
  
was a brief burst of light along with a slight ripple effect, and three  
  
Jem'Hadar ships  
  
appeared as if from out of nowhere. "Right on schedule."  
  
Worf checked the tactical scanners and frowned. "Their shields came up  
  
the moment  
  
they passed through the flux. Also, their main power and weapon systems are  
  
online and  
  
fully active."  
  
"Both the Enterprise and the Enterprise D suffered severe power drains  
  
during their  
  
passages through the flux," Bashir noted.  
  
"It seems that's not a problem for the Dominion," O'Brien groused.  
  
"Considering how different their technologies are, I can't say I'm all  
  
that surprised,"  
  
Kira said.  
  
Sisko took a deep breath. "Mr. Worf, decloak the ship. Major, hail  
  
them." The two  
  
officers complied, and Sisko noted subconsciously the cloaking field being  
  
lowered. Within  
  
seconds of Kira's hail, the screen flickered, centered on a Vorta.  
  
"I am Fiden, lead Vorta for this group."  
  
"Captain Benjamin Sisko, commanding the Federation starship Defiant."  
  
The Vorta immediately broke into a wide, and Sisko thought wholly  
  
insincere, smile.  
  
"Captain Sisko! A pleasure to make your acquaintance. But I am puzzled by  
  
what you are doing here, so far from Deep Space Nine."  
  
"We're both a long way from home," Sisko noted. "A whole universe  
  
away,  
  
in fact."  
  
"Universe?" Fiden seemed genuinely confused. "I'm afraid I don't  
  
understand."  
  
"I can explain, but we had better make it quick." Sisko paused for  
  
effect. "That is, if  
  
you want the Founder on board your ship to survive."  
  
The smug look vanished from the Vorta's face. "Threats do not become  
  
you  
  
, Captain," Fiden noted, with some anger in his voice.  
  
Sisko raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't making one. But I do have some  
  
inside  
  
knowledge about this universe... Which you had better listen to."  
  
Mercury watched Mars pace in the hallway. "Raye, could please you stop  
  
that? You're  
  
making me nervous!"  
  
"I can't help it," Mars replied irritably. "Whether or not Serena dies  
  
depends on what's  
  
being said in there. I can't stand being left out of it!"  
  
Mercury sighed. "You're not helping matters, either. Captain Sisko  
  
knows  
  
whom he's  
  
dealing with."  
  
"Mercury is correct," Pluto said. "I had extensive talks with him  
  
about  
  
the timing  
  
involved. The last time, it was two hours before Neflyte took control of  
  
the  
  
shapeshifter.  
  
We should have at least an hour before they mount any move."  
  
Mars stopped and stared coldly at Pluto. "And if you're wrong?"  
  
"Even if she is," Mercury said, intervening, "We should still have  
  
three  
  
days before  
  
Serena is in any danger. And Kira has outlined a good plan to protect her."  
  
"I know, I know," Mars said. "I helped make it, remember?" She turned  
  
her gaze to the  
  
bridge door. "I just wish I was in there."  
  
As if in response, the bridge door snapped open, and Sisko and Odo  
  
exited.  
  
Each of the  
  
three Scouts looked expectedly at him. "Well?" Mars asked.  
  
"The Vorta, Fiden, has agreed to meet with me, to see the proof we have  
  
regarding the  
  
situation." He turned to Pluto, "I'd like you to be there, since you have  
  
first hand knowledge  
  
of how the timeline should go."  
  
"Very well," she responded reluctantly. "If you wish it."  
  
Sisko noted the unhappy look on Mars' face as well. "Don't worry," he  
  
told the hot  
  
tempered Scout. "I told Worf to fire on them the moment they do anything  
  
suspicious, or if  
  
they attempt to get closer to Earth. Since communications with them are  
  
closed, you can  
  
monitor the situation from the bridge if you wish."  
  
Mars nodded and watched them go. "I hope this works," she said. "If  
  
it  
  
does, maybe  
  
things will work out better for me and Darien in the real timeline."  
  
Mercury hesitated on the verge of entering the bridge. "Raye, about  
  
that..."  
  
"What?"  
  
Amy paused again, the began manipulating her computer. An image  
  
quickly  
  
appeared on  
  
the screen. "I think you should look at this first."  
  
Raye frowned, but complied with Mercury's request. But the second she  
  
did  
  
so, she  
  
gasped in astonishment. Though she wasn't aware of it, the image Mercury  
  
showed her  
  
came from the logs of the Enterprise D, taken shortly after Rubeus' Borg  
  
ship  
  
had been destroyed. It showed Tuxedo Mask and all five of the Sailor  
  
Scouts.  
  
But it wasn't Mars he  
  
was embracing. It was Sailor Moon. "What's this about?"  
  
"I've read a good many of the logs about the Sailor Scouts available  
  
from  
  
the Enterprise  
  
and the later Enterprise D," Mercury responded. "From all of those, it  
  
seems  
  
evident that Tuxedo Mask from the original timeline was intimately involved  
  
with Sailor Moon... And not  
  
you."  
  
Mars shook her head. She found this hard to believe. "Why?"  
  
Amy hesitated. "Luna, you remember how you always said that one of our  
  
primary  
  
missions was to locate the Moon Princess?"  
  
The cat nodded. "Yes, of course I do."  
  
"Well, we had. According to the logs of Picard's Enterprise, Serena  
  
was  
  
the Moon  
  
Princess."  
  
"And since Darien was the Prince of Earth, they were involved during  
  
the  
  
Silver  
  
Millennium," Raye concluded. "Somehow, I always knew his heart belonged to  
  
someone else." She paused and looked at the image again. "And now I know  
  
why."  
  
"Raye, I'm sorry..."  
  
She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Amy. It's just what has to  
  
be." She went through the bridge door, and went directly to Worf. The  
  
Klingon  
  
stared expectedly at her.  
  
"You knew," she said, not phrasing it as a question.  
  
The other crewmembers exchanged questioning glances, but Worf regarded  
  
her  
  
evenly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Worf paused a moment. "You had to find out for yourself. After all,  
  
in  
  
your mind, you  
  
were his par'mach'ai." The usually even minded Dax turned to them, eyebrows  
  
upraised.  
  
"Uh, could you translate that?"  
  
"The closest human term would be lover."  
  
"WHAT?!?" Luna screeched, causing Raye to turn a dark shade of crimson.  
  
"We weren't *that* close," she said. "But I appreciate the sentiment.  
  
But would you  
  
guys stop treating it as if I'm going to lose him? I mean, my counterpart  
  
on  
  
Earth will  
  
never feel the same way if we're successful." She paused, staring into  
  
space,  
  
then added  
  
softly, "Besides, I'd give anything for her to have a chance to live."  
  
Pluto stood next to the large monitor in the mess hall, doubt evident  
  
in  
  
her expression.  
  
"I am uneasy at being present at this meeting, Captain."  
  
"All I need you for is to confirm what I tell them about what will  
  
happen,  
  
to both the  
  
Founder on their ship and to the Dominion." Sisko half turned to her.  
  
"That  
  
is, if it won't  
  
cause any disruption to the time stream."  
  
Pluto hesitated, considering her answer carefully. "No, I don't  
  
believe  
  
it will."  
  
"Why are you so uneasy?" Odo asked. "I thought you knew the future."  
  
"I have certain knowledge about future events in the proper timeline,  
  
and  
  
how things  
  
have progressed in the alternate," she responded. Sighing she added,  
  
"However,  
  
while we  
  
are involved with this process of restoring time, I am as in the dark about  
  
future events as  
  
you are."  
  
The door opened before Odo could respond, allowing Fiden and  
  
Komentac'lan  
  
to enter the  
  
room, escorted by two security officers. Sisko dismissed them with a nod  
  
and  
  
they quickly  
  
departed. Fiden smiled broadly, "Captain Sisko, it is a pleasure to finally  
  
meet you face to  
  
face." He turned to Odo and half bowed to him. "And you as well, Odo."  
  
"Do tell," Odo said blandly.  
  
Fiden straightened himself and approached Pluto. "And who might this  
  
lovely young  
  
woman be?" Pluto said nothing, but arched an eyebrow at Fiden's description  
  
of  
  
her as  
  
young. "Her... uniform clearly isn't Bajoran issue, nor is it Starfleet."  
  
He  
  
turned to Sisko.  
  
"Unless, of course, you're planning on changing them again?"  
  
"She's a guest on the Defiant," Sisko explained. "She's a resident of  
  
this alternate  
  
universe we've entered. Her name is Sailor Pluto."  
  
"Sailor... Pluto?" Fiden looked her over again, puzzled. "A rather  
  
odd  
  
name."  
  
"Not for a Sailor Scout," Pluto said, addressing the Vorta for the  
  
first  
  
time.  
  
"She's the reason for our being here," Odo said. "So that we can save  
  
your lives, as well  
  
as the life of the Founder on your ship."  
  
"You have made that threat before," Komentac'lan snarled.  
  
"Not a threat," Pluto stated flatly. "Merely a statement of what will  
  
occur if you do not  
  
return to your own universe."  
  
Sisko went to the monitor. "This will help you to understand." He  
  
tapped  
  
a control and  
  
played a visual log, extracted from Mercury's computer, of the battle that  
  
had  
  
resulted in Sailor Moon being killed.  
  
Fiden watched the action for a silent moment. "Mildly entertaining,  
  
but I  
  
fail to see how  
  
this..." His voice trailed off as the changeling suddenly revealed itself,  
  
and  
  
the expression  
  
on his face shifted to sheer horror when Mars was shown destroying it. "It  
  
can't be."  
  
"It can, and it will."  
  
"Why are you showing me this obvious fabrication?" he demanded harshly.  
  
Pluto took a step towards Fiden, causing Komentac'lan to put his hand  
  
to  
  
his weapon. "It  
  
isn't a fabrication. This recording is of an event that *will* happen three  
  
days from now,  
  
if you do not return to your own universe."  
  
"So you say."  
  
"Yes, I do. And further, your failure to act will also result in the  
  
utter and complete  
  
destruction of the Dominion itself."  
  
Fiden stared back at her, appalled. "Impossible."  
  
"No, it is a certainty."  
  
"The Dominion has stood for over two thousand years," Fiden protested.  
  
"And it will  
  
continue to exist long after your civilization crumbles to dust!"  
  
Pluto heaved an exasperated sigh. "I should have expected this. Some  
  
people must be  
  
shown, not simply told." To Sisko, she added, "We'll be right back." With  
  
that, she and Fiden  
  
both vanished.  
  
Komentac'lan drew his weapon and looked wildly about the room. "What  
  
have  
  
you done  
  
with Fiden?" he demanded.  
  
"We've done nothing to him. And Pluto said they'd be back." Sisko  
  
watched as the Jem'Hadar continued to search the room. "Now put that weapon  
  
away."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"Because I said to," Odo replied, marching up to Komentac'lan.  
  
Komentac'lan stared at Odo, indecision evident on his face. While  
  
Odo's  
  
status with the  
  
other Founders may be in doubt, he *was* still a Founder and Komentac'lan  
  
was  
  
bound to  
  
obey him. For now. Reluctantly he holstered his weapon.  
  
It was in that moment that Pluto reappeared with Fiden. The Vorta had  
  
a  
  
shocked  
  
expression on his face. "Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable."  
  
"But true nevertheless," Pluto responded.  
  
Fiden nodded and turned to Captain Sisko. "I have no choice other than  
  
to  
  
believe what  
  
Pluto has shown me. We will return through the quantum flux."  
  
In the heart of one of the Dominion ships, the changeling rested in  
  
it's  
  
gelatinous state,  
  
oblivious to the discussion going on aboard the Defiant. The affairs of the  
  
solids were of  
  
no concern to it. It's only worry was how the current situation was going  
  
to  
  
affect the long  
  
range plans of the Dominion. Could this new universe fit into those plans?  
  
A shimmering in the room interrupted it's planning. Amidst it appeared  
  
a  
  
humanoid  
  
male, dressed in a grey uniform. Immediately the changeling assumed a  
  
humanoid  
  
shape of  
  
it's own. The appearance of this humanoid was an unknown factor, and that  
  
was  
  
troubling to it. "Who are you?" it demanded.  
  
"I am Neflyte," he responded, raising a hand that was surrounded by a  
  
glowing aura. "And your new master!" The light shot forth from his hand,  
  
surrounding the changeling.  
  
Desperately it tried to summon help from the Jem'Hadar on the ship, but it  
  
quickly found  
  
it's will suborned. Within seconds, Neflyte's spell had brought the  
  
changeling  
  
completely under his power.  
  
Neflyte paused to examine the creature's mind. 'So the creatures on  
  
these  
  
three ships  
  
regarded this shapeshifter as a god, hmm? That could prove useful,' he  
  
thought. But he also saw that the Defiant was not under it's control.  
  
Indeed,  
  
it had proven a formidable  
  
adversary in the past. "Well," he said with a chuckle, "We'll just have to  
  
destroy it. This shapeshifter should be more than enough for our purposes."  
  
He concentrated a moment,  
  
summoning the power of the stars. "Centaurus the Centaur and Aquila the  
  
Eagle,  
  
come  
  
forth!"  
  
Mars frowned, staring at the three Dominion ships on the viewscreen.  
  
"Something's  
  
wrong. I'm getting bad vibes from over there."  
  
Worf glanced at her before returning his attention to the main viewer.  
  
So  
  
far the  
  
Jem'Hadar ship hadn't moved, and until they did so, he could take no action  
  
against them.  
  
But Mars had proven herself quite perceptive in the past. Indeed, in many  
  
ways  
  
her abilities  
  
were almost as good as Counselor Troi's. "Chief?"  
  
"Nothing," he replied. "No unusual energy emissions, nothing to  
  
indicate  
  
they're going to  
  
attack."  
  
"I don't care what your sensors show. Something's up," Mars growled.  
  
"You've got  
  
anything, Mercury?"  
  
"I thought I detected something a few moments ago, but it's not there  
  
now," she replied.  
  
Dax found her attention drawn from the conversation around her to the  
  
sensors, which  
  
were indicating a spurious reading. She tapped the console, refining the  
  
readings for more  
  
detail. Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw that it was indicating a  
  
spatial anomaly  
  
forming on the bridge.  
  
Before the science officer could give any warning, a burst of light  
  
announced the arrival  
  
of one of Neflyte's constellation avatars, specifically Centaurus the  
  
centaur.  
  
Reacting  
  
first, Worf sprang from the command chair, his hand going for his phaser.  
  
This  
  
action was  
  
enough to save his life, for the centaur fired an arrow that passed through  
  
the  
  
space the  
  
Klingon's head had been mere moments before. It impacted on the far side of  
  
the bridge, narrowly missing Sailor Mercury as well.  
  
Kira reacted next, firing her phaser. The creature winced at the  
  
beam's  
  
impact but little  
  
other effect was evident. Centaurus cried out loudly and reared back,  
  
lashing  
  
out with it's  
  
hooves at the Major. She ducked below it's attack, and rolled for the far  
  
side  
  
of the bridge.  
  
Mars moved to confront it next, summoning her power. "MARS..."  
  
She got no farther, as Centaurus quickly nocked and fired off another  
  
arrow. Worf again  
  
reacted quickly, shoving her out of the arrows path so the missed her  
  
throat.  
  
However, this  
  
action put his left arm in the line of fire. The Klingon grimaced at the  
  
pain  
  
as it embedded  
  
itself in his forearm, but he ignored it as best he could and fired his own  
  
weapon at the  
  
intruder. His shot met with as little success as Kira's.  
  
Mars gave Worf a silent look of thanks and gathered herself for another  
  
try. "MARS FIRE  
  
IGNITE!"  
  
The fireball raced at Centaurus, but it proved to be very agile. It  
  
shifted to it's left so  
  
that Mars' attack missed completely, impacting instead at the rear bulkhead.  
  
The floor and  
  
several nearby consoles were set ablaze, and an alarm instantly sounded.  
  
"Warning: fire  
  
detected on the main bridge," the computer intoned. Several jets of white  
  
vapor sprayed  
  
out over the flames, further adding to the confusion while simultaneously  
  
suppressing the fire. "Fire control systems activated."  
  
Boretkat'lyn stared in amazement at the Founder. It had just announce  
  
that they were  
  
going to Earth, bypassing the blockading Federation starship. He found it  
  
hard  
  
to believe  
  
that they would be leaving such a threat behind them. It was unlike a  
  
Founder  
  
to make such  
  
an obvious tactical error. "Why don't we fire?!?" he demanded to know. He  
  
glared at Neflyte  
  
before addressing the Founder again. "If it is the destruction of the  
  
Defiant  
  
you wish, then  
  
let us bring it about!"  
  
"Enough!" the Founder exclaimed, glaring at the Second. Boretkat'lyn  
  
immediately stood  
  
to attention. "I trust you remember who is in command here?"  
  
"Of course," Boretkat'lyn immediately responded. "You are the  
  
Founder."  
  
"See to it that you remember that," the changeling snarled.  
  
Boretkat'lyn  
  
allowed himself  
  
a momentary glance with the Third. The Founder's behavior seemed to be most  
  
uncharacteristic. Still, it was not the place of the Jem'Hadar to object to  
  
the wishes of  
  
the Founders.  
  
"As you wish it," Boretkat'lyn stated, adding, "Obedience brings  
  
victory."  
  
The Founder nodded, seemingly satisfied, "...And victory is life.  
  
Good,  
  
you remember the  
  
lessons we instilled in your kind." It paused for a moment, then smiled  
  
evilly. "In any  
  
event, do not concern yourself with the state of the Defiant. It's  
  
destruction  
  
has been  
  
assured." The changeling concluded the statement with a laugh that chilled  
  
Boretkat'lyn to the bone.  
  
And there were few things in the universe that could frighten a  
  
Jem'Hadar.  
  
"...as a gesture of good will, Captain, I am willing to give the safe  
  
conduct through the  
  
Gamma Quadrant until you reach the wormhole," Fiden said.  
  
Given what he already knew about the Dominion, Sisko found that hard to  
  
take at face value. "I'm gratified to hear that. However, there's still  
  
the  
  
matter of the flux itself. I  
  
hope you understand that I would like to eliminate any possibility of  
  
anymore  
  
ships from  
  
our side from crossing over."  
  
"Yes, of course," Fiden agreed. "But I can assure you that the  
  
Founders..." He broke off in  
  
midstatement as the alert klaxon sounded, alerting the rest of the ship to  
  
the  
  
fire alarm on  
  
the bridge. Sisko was in the process of activating his comm badge when a  
  
loud  
  
cry resounded through the room. They turned and saw a large eagle,  
  
measuring a  
  
meter and a  
  
half tall, standing at the other side of the mess hall. Fiden was only able  
  
to  
  
say, "What is  
  
that?" before it leapt to attack.  
  
For all it's size the creature was amazingly quick and agile. It  
  
landed  
  
atop of them with  
  
talons extended before any of them could react, it's attention centered on  
  
Captain Sisko.  
  
Pluto managed to pull him to one side before it could strike him but Fiden,  
  
being next to  
  
Sisko, was savagely slashed by the creature. The Vorta had time for a  
  
strangled cry before  
  
he collapsed.  
  
Komentac'lan drew out his weapon and fired two quick shots. Aquila  
  
looked  
  
irritably at  
  
him and swept a wing in his direction, throwing the Jem'Hadar down against  
  
Sisko's left  
  
leg. The captain went down, grimacing at the sudden pain shooting through  
  
his  
  
knee. The  
  
creature advanced towards him again but it's path was blocked by a grim  
  
faced  
  
Pluto, her  
  
staff at the ready.  
  
Before either could do anything more, Odo jumped atop the eagle, his  
  
limbs  
  
reverting to  
  
a gelatinous state and wrapping themselves around it. The eagle cried out  
  
in  
  
frustration as  
  
the constable restrained it's wings and claws.  
  
By this point, Komentac'lan had regained his footing. Unwilling to  
  
take  
  
the chance of  
  
hitting a Founder with weapons fire, he charged into close quarters with the  
  
eagle and hit  
  
it across the beak with all his might.  
  
Though Odo had restrained it's limbs, it's head was still free to move  
  
and  
  
Aquila took  
  
advantage that fact by seizing the Jem'Hadar First within it's beak. It  
  
swung  
  
him to and fro  
  
like a ragdoll, then flung him against the far wall where he collapsed  
  
bonelessly. It was  
  
obvious to anyone that he was quite dead, his neck having been broken.  
  
Now Pluto moved in to take action. She couldn't use her powers on it,  
  
as  
  
that would  
  
likely kill Odo, so she chose an alternative course of action. Instead she  
  
brought the top of  
  
the staff down atop Aquila's head. Her enhanced strength being greater than  
  
a  
  
Jem'Hadar's,  
  
it stood dazed from the blow. Pluto followed the blow up by grasping the  
  
staff  
  
with both  
  
hands and shoving it into the eagle's chest. The eagle was nearly flung  
  
into  
  
the air, striking  
  
the wall in nearly the same spot Komentac'lan had seconds before. It stood  
  
there shaking  
  
it's head, obviously dazed. Taking advantage of this, Odo immediately  
  
reverted  
  
to his  
  
natural form and oozed away from it, thus giving Pluto a clear shot.  
  
Lying on the floor, Sisko blinked, trying to clear his mind. He saw  
  
Pluto  
  
confront the  
  
creature and it glared back at her, having regained it's bearings. It  
  
uttered  
  
a loud cry and  
  
flew at the Sailor Scout. Simultaneously, Pluto swung her staff in front of  
  
her. In his  
  
dazed state, Sisko wasn't sure, but he thought he heard her whisper  
  
something.  
  
But what  
  
followed was impossible for him to miss.  
  
Dark green energy coalesced along the staff as Pluto swung it along  
  
it's  
  
arc. As it the  
  
midpoint, a sphere of energy of the same color shot out from the staff and  
  
struck the  
  
Negaverse creature. The flare of Pluto's attack hid it from Sisko's sight,  
  
but  
  
he heard it cry  
  
out loudly again, though this time in pain and despair. When the light  
  
faded,  
  
he saw no sign  
  
that the creature had ever been there, other that a pile of rapidly fading  
  
dust.  
  
Odo reformed himself next to Pluto and nodded approvingly. "Well  
  
done."  
  
"Thank you." She turned Sisko. "Captain, are you well?"  
  
"My leg hurts like hell, but I'll live." He indicated the spot where  
  
Aquila had been  
  
moments before. "I thought you said it was two hours before the Negaverse  
  
tried anything."  
  
"I warned you that could change," she reproached him. "Though I admit  
  
I  
  
didn't think they  
  
would move this fast."  
  
"The presence of the Defiant may have spurred them into almost  
  
immediate  
  
reaction,"  
  
Odo theorized.  
  
"We can guess later," Pluto said. "But we must make sure the ships  
  
don't  
  
reach Earth."  
  
"Agreed," Sisko said. "With the Negaverse on the move, the time for  
  
talk  
  
is over." He  
  
tried to get up on his own, but fell back after yelping in pain. "Help me  
  
to  
  
the bridge."  
  
Pluto moved to one side of Sisko while Odo went to the other, and together  
  
they  
  
helped the  
  
captain up and out of the mess hall.  
  
Mars grimaced. The bridge was too confined for her to use her firebird  
  
attack, along  
  
with the fact the Worf was now grappling with the centaur, despite his  
  
injured  
  
arm. "We  
  
need cover!" she said to her fellow Scout.  
  
Mercury nodded. "Coming right up. MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"  
  
Instantly the ambient temperature dropped and a thick layer of fog  
  
formed  
  
on the bridge.  
  
Dax noted that the creature seemed to lose sight of them, while she (and  
  
presumably the others) could still see it clearly. "Worf! Get down!" The  
  
Klingon immediately released his  
  
grip on the Negaverse creature, and fell back to the bridge fore. For it's  
  
part, the centaur  
  
reared back and unleashed a volley of arrows through the room.  
  
Fortunately,  
  
no one was  
  
hit, thought several of the stations took damage of one sort or other.  
  
Mars took advantage of a clear shot. "MARS FIRE IGNITE!" This time  
  
the  
  
flame struck  
  
true and it cried out in pain while it's bow was incinerated.  
  
"Now!" Kira exclaimed, and five phaser beams converged on the centaur,  
  
staggering it.  
  
"Mercury, Mars... Hit it again!"  
  
"Right!" Mercury said. While the bridge was too confined for Mars'  
  
more  
  
powerful attack, it was more than wide open enough for hers. "MERCURY ICE  
  
BUBBLES FREEZE!"  
  
"MARS FIRE IGNITE!" Mars yelled, striking simultaneously with Mercury.  
  
The twin  
  
attacks of fire and ice struck the centaur, and the Defiant crewmembers  
  
maintain their  
  
phaser fire as well. The combined might of all these attacks was too much  
  
for  
  
the centaur,  
  
and it disintegrated to dust amid a cry of despair.  
  
"Dusted!" Mercury exclaimed as the fog lifted.  
  
Kira turned to Dax. "Dax, see if there are anymore of these things on  
  
the  
  
ship."  
  
"There was one in the mess hall," a voice came from the starboard door.  
  
Everyone turned  
  
to see Sisko limp in, aided by Odo and Sailor Pluto. They helped him  
  
towards  
  
the command  
  
chair. "But it's been taken care of." Sisko grimaced as he seated himself.  
  
His leg was throbbing intensely, there were more important concerns at the  
  
moment. He could see the  
  
three ships receding on the viewscreen, obviously on their way to Earth.  
  
"Dax  
  
--"  
  
Dax had already taken her place at the helm and was working the  
  
controls.  
  
Fortunately,  
  
it had emerge from the recent conflict unscathed. "I'm already on it,  
  
Captain.  
  
We're on an intercept course at full impulse."  
  
Bashir spoke up from nearby the tactical station, where he had been  
  
tending to Worf.  
  
"Captain, we should get Worf down to sickbay." He paused for a quick scan  
  
of  
  
Sisko. "And  
  
yourself as well. You've got torn ligaments in that knee."  
  
"I can wait until this is over, Doctor," Sisko responded. "But you can  
  
get started on  
  
Worf."  
  
"Sir, I can maintain my post," the Klingon protested, trying to ignore  
  
the  
  
pain from his  
  
injured arm. He turned back to the tactical station but stopped when he saw  
  
the arrow protruding from the panel. The panels flickered randomly,  
  
indicating  
  
the station had been heavily damaged.  
  
Kira saw it as well, and began working furiously on her console. "I'm  
  
transferring weapons control to my station."  
  
"There's nothing more you can do up here, Mr. Worf. Get that arm taken  
  
care of." Before  
  
Worf could object further Sisko added, "That's an order."  
  
"Yes, sir," Worf said reluctantly and left the bridge with Bashir. On  
  
the  
  
main viewscreen,  
  
Sisko could see two of the Dominion ships break off and turn to face the  
  
Defiant.  
  
"Major, the moment they're in weapons range, I want you to open fire."  
  
"Yes, sir." Kira kept her attention on the distance indicator, waiting  
  
for the other ships  
  
to enter range. In a matter of seconds, the distance between them had  
  
closed  
  
to a scant  
  
few thousands of kilometers. "Entering weapon's range -- firing!"  
  
The Defiant's powerful pulse phaser batteries spoke, sending a barrage  
  
of  
  
high energy  
  
bursts on the ship on the right. The first couple were absorbed by it's  
  
shields but the next penetrated, exploding the Dominion ship. It's  
  
companion  
  
managed banked right and flanked  
  
the Defiant, firing on it all the while.  
  
On board, the ship rocked under the incoming fire. Kira retaliated  
  
with  
  
the other phaser  
  
batteries mounted on the ship, but these weren't nearly as powerful as the  
  
pulse phasers  
  
and the Jem'Hadar ship was able to absorb these.  
  
"Dax, do what you can to avoid fire, but keep on that lead ship.  
  
That's  
  
the one with the  
  
changeling on it!" Dax nodded and programmed a series of evasive maneuvers.  
  
But tied as  
  
the Defiant was to an intercept course, it could only avoid a small fraction  
  
of  
  
the incoming  
  
fire. Fortunately, the ablative armor seemed to be holding for the moment.  
  
"The ablative armor is being degraded. It's not going to last much  
  
longer!" O'Brien  
  
shouted over the din of battle. As if in response, the ship shook again.  
  
"That did it. The aft  
  
ablative armor is gone!"  
  
"Just keep her together for a few more seconds, Chief," Sisko told him.  
  
Mercury came up behind Kira, her computer open. "Major, according to  
  
my  
  
scans their  
  
shields are weakest over their dorsal section. Concentrate your fire  
  
there,"  
  
she suggested.  
  
Kira nodded and adjusted her firing pattern. Her next shot from the upper  
  
phaser array hit the area suggested by Mercury and penetrated the other  
  
ship's  
  
shields, damaging it's hull.  
  
The Dominion vessel broke off on it's current attack run and began a series  
  
of  
  
evasive  
  
maneuvers, trying to avoid other incoming fire.  
  
"Nice shooting!" Sisko complimented. He checked the tactical situation  
  
again and noted  
  
the lead ship was nearly in weapons range. "Kira, prepare a full spread of  
  
quantum  
  
torpedoes."  
  
Kira nodded. "Torpedoes ready and locked on target."  
  
"In weapons range!" Dax announced.  
  
The Defiant rocked again, as the other Jem'Hadar ship made a new run on  
  
it. "The aft  
  
weapons array just went offline," O'Brien reported. "We've got damage to  
  
the  
  
impulse  
  
engines, too."  
  
Sisko gave no other indication he heard the engineer other than a curt  
  
nod. "FIRE!" The  
  
Defiant pitched slightly as four of the powerful torpedoes were launched.  
  
The  
  
lead ship  
  
dodged at the last moment, evading two of the torpedoes. But two still  
  
struck  
  
the  
  
Jem'Hadar ship on it's port side. Designed as they were to penetrate the  
  
tough  
  
shields employed by the Borg, the torpedoes tore through the attack ship's  
  
shields, shearing off the  
  
port warp nacelle. Suddenly unbalanced, it spun around several times before  
  
exploding.  
  
"Two down, one to go. Dax, hard about! Kira, lock phasers and fire when  
  
ready."  
  
Free now from their previous constraints, Dax put the small starship on  
  
a  
  
tight turn,  
  
quickly bringing the Defiant nose to nose with the remaining ship.  
  
Immediately, Kira triggered a burst from the pulse phasers, scoring several  
  
direct hits. The last of the  
  
Jem'Hadar ships became an expanding fireball. "Get us back under cloak,  
  
Chief." If we  
  
*can* cloak, he added silently.  
  
"Cloak engaged," O'Brien reported.  
  
"You did it!" Mars cried. "You got them all!"  
  
"I wouldn't start celebrating just yet," Odo said glumly. Lacking any  
  
other function  
  
during battle, the Constable had been keeping an eye on the sensors. "I  
  
detected a spatial  
  
anomaly forming on the lead ship just before we destroyed it."  
  
Dax went over and stood behind him and eyed the readings for herself.  
  
Meanwhile, Mercury opened up her computer once again and began working  
  
on  
  
it rapidly. "Uh oh," Dax said.  
  
"That doesn't sound good, old man."  
  
"It's not good," she responded apprehensively. "I detected a similar  
  
spatial anomaly  
  
reading just before Zoisite appeared in front of us, and another one before  
  
that centaur  
  
appeared on the bridge. I think this is some method of teleportation  
  
employed  
  
by the  
  
Negaverse."  
  
"So some or all of them might have been able to get off before it was  
  
destroyed," O'Brien  
  
stated.  
  
"See if you can determine a possible destination, Chief," Sisko  
  
ordered,  
  
despite having a  
  
sinking feeling where they had gone.  
  
Mercury answered before O'Brien could even begin scanning. "I've got  
  
it.  
  
They teleported  
  
to the arctic regions." She paused and looked to Mars. "Specifically, D  
  
Point."  
  
"Right to the Negaverse," Dax said.  
  
Kira grimaced at the news. "Damn! I thought we had them."  
  
Mars felt and looked suddenly very tired. "It's going to happen  
  
again...  
  
Just like before."  
  
"That must not be allowed to happen," Pluto said. "Otherwise, all will  
  
be  
  
lost. The  
  
timelines of both universes will forever be in chaos."  
  
Mars felt someone place a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see  
  
Sisko  
  
standing  
  
behind her despite his injured leg, determination etched on his face.  
  
"It's  
  
not going to  
  
happen again, Raye. Not if I can help it," he resolutely reassured her.  
  
"Whatever it takes, no  
  
matter the cost, we're going to prevent history from repeating itself."  
  
Next time: The Dominion ships have been destroyed, but they still have to  
  
keep  
  
the  
  
survivors from causing trouble on Earth. To that end, they begin to  
  
implement  
  
Kira's plan to  
  
protect Serena in chapter 6, "Surveillance".  
  
Bill Harris  
  
Sci-Fi quote of the month:  
  
"Arrogance and stupidity all in one package. How efficient of you." - Londo  
  
Mollari in "Babylon 5: In the Beginning" 


	6. Chapter 6 - Surveillance

Sailor Trek: Deep Space 9  
  
"I guess we're going to have to find a way to blend in."  
  
-Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax  
  
Chapter 6 - Surveillance  
  
"Captain's Log, Stardate... unknown. Repairs to the Defiant have  
  
been completed and we have settled into a close orbit of Earth while  
  
remaining cloaked. We have implemented Major Kira's plan to protect the  
  
Sailor Moon, and to this end several members of our crew are maintaining  
  
a discrete watch on her and the other two Scouts. Constable Odo has been  
  
making use of his unique abilities as well by mimicking various objects  
  
and animals in the vicinity... though I have noticed that, for reasons  
  
that elude me, he's developed a dislike for ravens.  
  
"Needless to say, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars were unhappy that I  
  
have refused their request to be part of the surveillance effort. I can  
  
understand how they feel, but in my opinion, it is best to keep them in  
  
reserve for the moment. Sailor Pluto has demurred, in my opinion  
  
reluctantly, from any involvement in the event below, citing the potential  
  
for drastic changes to the timeline. Given her intimate knowledge in  
  
matters of a temporal nature, I cannot fault her for that."  
  
Jeddite half smiled as he stood before Queen Beryl and watched  
  
Neflyte's sudden discomfort. Beryl had started this audience by  
  
congratulating Neflyte on his capture of the Changeling and the  
  
surviving Jem'Hadar soldiers, but the smug look on his face suddenly  
  
vanished when she began to berate him on the loss of all three alien  
  
spacecraft... And for his failure to capture or destroy the other,  
  
unknown ship. Perhaps her anger at Neflyte's performance would be enough  
  
that she would forget the events surrounding his latest encounter with  
  
the Sailor Scouts.  
  
"...and as for you, Jeddite..."  
  
Any trace of a smile vanished from his face as he shuddered inwardly  
  
at the iciness in her tone. Beryl hadn't forgotten and worse, she  
  
evidently hadn't expunged all of her anger upon Neflyte. In fact, she  
  
seemed even angrier than before.  
  
This could be much worse than he had feared.  
  
"Once again you've encountered the Sailor Scouts..." Her grew loud  
  
and shrill, "... and failed miserably! Neflyte's failure is bad enough,  
  
but your bungling has become intolerable!" She leaned forward, and her  
  
voice became low and menacing. "Can you give me a reason I shouldn't  
  
condemn you to Eternal Sleep at once?"  
  
Jeddite bowed low, striving to give the appearance of calm despite  
  
the fear he felt grip his soul. "I apologize for my failings, Queen  
  
Beryl," he said, "But I do have a plan..." His mind raced as he strove  
  
to come up with a plan, ANY plan, that would appease the Negaverse  
  
monarch. And incidently save his neck. "...which should result in  
  
the destruction of the Sailor Scouts."  
  
"Indeed," Beryl all but purred. Her voice may have taken on a  
  
pleasant tone, but her expression still promised a fate worse than  
  
death. "You have made such claims in the past. Why should this time be  
  
any different?"  
  
Jeddite noticed a gloating look on Neflyte's face as Beryl spoke.  
  
Evidently the other General thought that whatever plan Jeddite came up  
  
with would be doomed to fail. How he wished he could just wipe the smile  
  
of his rival's face...  
  
Inspiration struck him like a thunderbolt. As calmly as he could  
  
he addressed Beryl, "Because this time we have the shapeshifter as an  
  
asset." Jeddite's statement drew a sharp look from Neflyte, pleasing him  
  
to no end. Evidently the other General had his own plans for the  
  
shapeshifter... plans which Jeddite had no qualms about upsetting.  
  
"I see." Queen Beryl regarded him coolly for several moments.  
  
"Tell me more Jeddite. If this plan has potential, you may yet redeem  
  
yourself."  
  
Neflyte grimaced as he heard Jeddite outline his plan. If it  
  
hadn't been for the interference of that other ship, the Defiant, then  
  
he might have replaced Jeddite. But now it seemed that the General had  
  
pulled another proverbial rabbit out of the hat, for it seemed that Beryl  
  
was going to approve of his plan.  
  
In his mind, her went over what had gone wrong with his operation.  
  
One of his constellation avatars should have been enough to destroy that  
  
ship, even with their advanced weapons. Two should have torn it apart  
  
in seconds, and would have... Had there not been those Sailor Scouts on it.  
  
This was the most puzzling aspect of it. Sailor Mars and Sailor  
  
Mercury were clearly busy on Earth foiling Jeddite's latest scheme, yet he  
  
had seen them on the Defiant through the Centaurus' eyes. How had they  
  
managed to be in both places at once?  
  
And then there was the mystery Scout that had dealt with Aquila.  
  
Where had she come from? And who was she?  
  
Whatever the answer, he dare not reveal this information to Queen  
  
Beryl. The appearance of each new Scout had irritated her greatly. The  
  
news that there were now three more could send her into a rage -- and he  
  
no doubt would end up paying the price.  
  
"Captain's Personal Log, supplemental. If the alternate timeline is  
  
any indication, the forces of the Negaverse will strike today. I just  
  
hope our combined forces are enough to keep this day from turning into a  
  
disaster a second time."  
  
Pluto eyed the monitor display from her seat at the science station.  
  
"And so it begins," she said softly.  
  
Sisko left the command chair and moved to the forward part of the  
  
bridge to stand beside her. Since Pluto knew best what to look for, he  
  
had her examining Earthside communications for some sign the Negaverse  
  
was going to proceed with their plan. "You've got something?"  
  
"Yes, Captain," she replied. "There have been accounts in the  
  
Tokyo media of several disappearances at the baseball stadium. Just as  
  
it was before. No doubt Luna will see it and have the Scouts  
  
investigate." She turned to face Sisko. "It will happen today."  
  
"Very well," Sisko replied grimly. "It's nearly dawn down there.  
  
We'll have to initiate phase one immediately."  
  
Mars raced down the corridor with Bashir close on her heels and  
  
stopped after rounding a corner. "Damn!" she exclaimed at seeing the  
  
empty corridor in front of her. "He's not here!"  
  
Bashir opened a tricorder with one hand, the other holding onto a  
  
Bajoran style phaser. The small device began scanning automatically.  
  
"The emergency forcefields are still up on the corridor junction and on  
  
the ventilation ducts," he said while examining the readouts. He looked  
  
to the door on their right while putting the tricorder away. "There's  
  
only one way he could have gone."  
  
Mars nodded, and tapped the Bajoran comm badge she was wearing.  
  
"Mars to Mercury. We've chased him to the engine room."  
  
"The Chief and I have just gotten to the starboard side entrance,"  
  
came her reply. "It's sealed, so he couldn't have gotten out this way."  
  
Mars gave a grim smile of satisfaction, "Then we've got him  
  
cornered." She started for the door.  
  
"Watch it," Bashir warned her as he placed himself to one side of  
  
the door. "We may have him cornered, but we haven't got him yet." Mars  
  
acknowledge the warning with a swift nod and the two of them moved  
  
swiftly into the engine room, the door snapping shut behind them.  
  
At nearly the same instant, the far doorway opened, allowing  
  
Mercury and Chief O'Brien entrance into the room. "He's definitely in  
  
here," Mars said, looking about the room and noting that Mercury's visor  
  
was already deployed. "I can sense it."  
  
Mercury scanned about the room while the two Starfleet officers  
  
swept the various surfaces with low power phaser beams. "You're right,  
  
Mars," she said. "I'm getting indications of his presence, but I can't  
  
get any firm readings of him."  
  
"Keep your eyes open," O'Brien advised, still firing. "He's got to  
  
show himself sometime."  
  
Mars nodded as she moved to one side of the door, still looking  
  
about. She heard Bashir suddenly cry out, "Behind you!" just as she felt  
  
a light touch on her right shoulder.  
  
"You're dead," Odo advised her.  
  
She turned to the changeling, who was half formed with the rest of  
  
him still clinging to the wall, then glared at O'Brien. "I thought you  
  
swept that wall!"  
  
"I did!" he said defensively.  
  
"He did," Odo confirmed. "In fact, he missed me by only two  
  
millimeters."  
  
"Two millimeters!" Mars sagged back against the wall as Odo  
  
fully reformed himself. O'Brien and Bashir exchanged rueful looks while  
  
Mercury sighed and retracted her visor.  
  
"I take it the Constable won again?" a voice inquired from above.  
  
They look above them to the terrace level in the engine room fore and  
  
saw Sisko standing there with Pluto beside him, having entered through  
  
the door there.  
  
"Winner and still champion," Bashir confirmed.  
  
"This isn't a game, Doctor," Odo said disapprovingly. "These  
  
training exercises are necessary if you're going to be ready to deal with  
  
the Founder the Negaverse is controlling."  
  
"Yeah, we know. But it still would be nice to catch you once in a  
  
while," Mars shot back. "We've done this eight times now and you've been  
  
able to 'kill' one of us each time."  
  
"Don't feel too bad about it," O'Brien reassured her. "Odo always  
  
wins at 'Chase the Changeling'." A loud snort was the Constable's only  
  
response.  
  
"I'd like to give you a chance for a rematch, but I'm afraid were  
  
running short on time." Sisko looked at Sailor Mars, "Meet Dax in the  
  
transporter room. It's time to implement phase one. And Chief... Meet  
  
me when you get done down here. I've got an assignment for you as  
  
well."  
  
"Aye, sir," O'Brien said.  
  
Mars nodded her thanks and headed for the door. As she was  
  
exiting Mercury asked, "Captain, have you heard anything from Luna?"  
  
"No," he admitted. "But I wouldn't worry. I'm sure Luna knows how  
  
to take care of herself. And it's not as if she's alone down there."  
  
At that moment, Luna was literally up a tree just outside the  
  
Tsukino residence. For a cat, it was an ideal vantage point for keeping  
  
an eye on Serena's bedroom.  
  
But even a feline would find many hours staying still in a tree  
  
uncomfortable. Luna shifted her position so that she could stretch her  
  
muscles as she had done several times during her vigil. She grimaced  
  
at the sight of her forepaws, with the fur covering them now as yellow as  
  
was the rest of her fur. Being disguised was a condition Sisko had set  
  
down for her to be able to participate in the surveillance they were  
  
keeping on Serena and as her various abilities didn't function well with  
  
her crescent moon symbol covered, altering the color of her fur to match  
  
it was the best Bashir could do. Despite the necessity, she hated it.  
  
Hopefully this would be over soon and she could go back to her natural  
  
black.  
  
A slight tremor in the tree brought her back to the present. She  
  
looked around for the source, and found herself face to face with...  
  
herself. Suddenly she was very glad for her disguise.  
  
"All right," her past counterpart demanded. "I don't know who you  
  
are, but you've been in this tree for the last two nights. Now, I want  
  
to know what it is you're up to."  
  
Luna blinked, unsure what to do for a moment before deciding that  
  
now was not the time to reveal herself. Instead, she silently bounded  
  
out of the tree and ran across the yard, heading over to where she knew  
  
Kira was positioned.  
  
Luna's eyes narrowed as she watched the strange cat race off.  
  
'There's something very familiar about that cat,' she thought. She got  
  
down from the tree and prowled about the yard to satisfy herself that  
  
all was well in the area before heading back into Serena's room.  
  
Settling back down next to her charge she contemplated the recent  
  
events. 'Something odd is going on around here. And I'm going to have  
  
to find out what.'  
  
The only question was how.  
  
Luna leapt onto Kira's shoulder after making her way to the  
  
Major's concealed vantage point. "What happened?" she asked in a  
  
whisper.  
  
"Let's just say I had a close encounter of the temporal kind," Luna  
  
replied, keeping her voice equally low.  
  
Kira arched an eyebrow. "Oh, your counterpart found you?"  
  
The formerly black cat sighed. "I'm afraid so. And I must say, I  
  
found it quite unsettling."  
  
"I know the feeling," Kira replied, thinking back to her encounter  
  
with the Intendant Kira Nerys in the alternate universe. "I had  
  
something similar happen to me once."  
  
Mercury watched as Bashir put together a medkit for possible use  
  
during the upcoming away mission. Odo had the drills, deciding that  
  
any further exercises wouldn't be needed as the main action was in the  
  
very near future. She hoped that things went better in the real thing  
  
than they did during the drills. "Doctor, could you answer a question?"  
  
she asked after a time.  
  
"Certainly," he answered as he examined a tricorder modified to have  
  
a Bajoran look. "Ask away."  
  
"I understand the need for you to use civilian clothing on the away  
  
missions, but could you tell me why you are using Bajoran style weapons,  
  
comm badges and..." She indicated the medkit, "...the medical equipment?"  
  
"Well, as you are well aware, the Scouts will have later encounters  
  
with Kirk's Enterprise, and then later Picard's. So while we have to do  
  
everything we can to eliminate this temporal paradox..."  
  
"... you don't want to create another in the process," she finished.  
  
"And any foreknowledge of Starfleet's existence could create changes in  
  
the timeline."  
  
"Exactly," Bashir commented, putting away a dermal regenerator.  
  
"This way they'll be none the wiser when they do encounter the  
  
Enterprise D." He hesitated, then looked at her, "We hope."  
  
Dawn was just breaking at the Hikawa shrine as Raye tended to the  
  
sacred fire. It was a task she attended to daily before she went to  
  
school. She was concentrating on her task, but not so intently that she  
  
missed someone approach from outside. She went for the door and opened  
  
it, "I'm sorry, but..." Her voice trailed off as she got a good look at  
  
those who were standing outside. One was a tall female with a strange  
  
tatoo pattern on both sides of her forehead and extending down the sides  
  
of her neck, but it was the other that unsettled her.  
  
The other person was her. Another Raye Hino.  
  
"Who are you?" she finally managed to breathe out.  
  
"I'm Jadzia Dax," the taller one said. "And this is..."  
  
"I think she knows who I am, Jadzia," her double said.  
  
Raye walked over to her counterpart and then circled her, studying  
  
her intently. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find anything  
  
about her that would indicate that she was a fake. All her senses, both  
  
physical and psychic, were telling her that this was another version of  
  
herself. "This is impossible."  
  
Her doppleganger shook her head. "Not when you use time travel."  
  
"Time travel?"  
  
"Yep. I came on her ship," she said, indicating Dax.  
  
Raye turned her attention to the other woman. "OK, so were are you  
  
from?"  
  
"I'm from the future too, but from another planet also. My people  
  
are called Trill."  
  
Raye shook her head. People from another planet, time travelers...  
  
This day was getting very weird, and it had just started. "OK, assuming  
  
for the moment that everything you've said is the truth, why are you  
  
here? Why travel back in time?"  
  
"Because something went gravely wrong in my past," her counterpart  
  
explained. "It's going to happen in your very near future, today in fact,  
  
and it involves Serena."  
  
"Serena? What'd that meatballhead do now?" Raye snapped.  
  
Her counterpart glowered at her. "She *died*."  
  
It was nearly an hour later that a very troubled Raye Hino watched  
  
as her future counterpart and the woman named Dax walked off the temple  
  
grounds. Soon after they had gotten out of sight, she turned to the  
  
burning fire and began the ritual of a fire reading.  
  
While the bulk of her mind was concentrating on the flame, the  
  
remainder was going over what Dax and her double had told her: that  
  
Luna would lead them to investigate what seemed to be another Negaverse  
  
operation, similar to the amusement park scheme that they had tried.  
  
But this time, it was simply a trap designed to lure the Scouts there  
  
and kill them. But they would only succeed in killing Serena.  
  
Just thinking about it scared Raye more than she would care to  
  
admit.  
  
However, while they were able to give her a vague warning, they had  
  
been very limited in the details they gave her.  
  
"You have to understand," Dax had told her, "We have to be very  
  
careful in what we tell you. Our objective is to prevent Sailor Moon  
  
from being killed today. But if we give you too much information, we  
  
could upset the timeline even more."  
  
"Why don't you at least tell me what this shapeshifter will be  
  
hiding as?" she demanded.  
  
Her counterpart shook her head. "Wouldn't do any good. As  
  
someone pointed out to me, the changeling could be literally anything  
  
or anyone. I only know what it was imitating just before it struck."  
  
"Besides, we've already made some alterations in the timeline," Dax  
  
added. "So events from here on will be different that what happened  
  
previously."  
  
"The best thing to do is to keep you eyes on everything."  
  
Raye groaned. "Everything?!?"  
  
"And everyone." Her counterpart gave her a mournful smile. "Sorry,  
  
but it's the best advice we can give."  
  
"Don't worry," Dax added trying to reassure her, "We've got others  
  
that will be along watching for it. And they'll be keeping an eye on  
  
Serena as well. So don't think that everything depends on you. All we  
  
need you to do is to stay alert and be ready for when the time comes."  
  
All during her talk with them, Raye had been concentrating on both  
  
women intently, trying to get something on how truthful they were being.  
  
Hoping that there was some fabrication to their tale.  
  
Unfortunately all her senses could tell her was that everything  
  
they had told her had been truthful, she reflected as she concentrated on  
  
the fire, even if they weren't telling her *everything*.  
  
She returned her full attention to the flame. After several more  
  
minutes, an image formed amid the flames in response to her prodding.  
  
Raye recoiled upon seeing it, horrified.  
  
It was an image of Death.  
  
Dax tapped on her comm badge after they were some distance from  
  
the temple. "Dax to Kira. We're on our way."  
  
"Acknowledged," she heard the Major reply, "Take your time. We've  
  
got a while before she heads for school. So take your time getting  
  
here. Kira out."  
  
Dax and Raye continued in silence for a while before Raye asked,  
  
"How do you think that went?"  
  
Dax shrugged. "Pretty well, I think. But she is you. How do you  
  
think she took it?"  
  
"About as good as can be expected," she responded. "She's  
  
frustrated we can't tell her more, but understands our reasons. I  
  
think she'll be ready for that shapeshifter."  
  
"I hope so," Dax said. "According to Kira, it wasn't easy getting  
  
Benjamin to go along with this idea."  
  
"Absolutely not!" Sisko exclaimed.  
  
Raye instinctively winced at his tone, but Kira held her ground. Emissary or no, she had these type of confrontations with him before and  
  
was still wiling to stand her ground. "Captain, I think you should  
  
reconsider."  
  
"Major have you lost your mind?" Sisko moved around the desk and  
  
confronted the Bajoran directly. "Having Raye meet up with her past  
  
self would be a direct violation of --"  
  
"To hell with the time travel directives!" Kira snapped. "They  
  
don't apply to this situation." She spared a glance at Pluto, who had  
  
been standing to one side and had yet to say anything, though she was  
  
watching their discussion with great interest. "Captain, those directives  
  
are designed for preserving the timeline. But in this case we're talking  
  
about changing this timeline deliberately, and along a very specific path.  
  
We're going to need all the help we can get."  
  
"Like you two have been saying," Raye said to both Sisko and Pluto,  
  
"We're only going to get one chance at this. Alerting one of the Scouts  
  
from this time frame could be the edge we need to keep things from going  
  
awry."  
  
"Those are good points," Sisko said. "But I don't think --"  
  
"They're right, Captain," Pluto interrupted him.  
  
Sisko stared at her. "I would have thought you'd be the last person  
  
to endorse this plan."  
  
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't... but as Major Kira pointed out, this is  
  
not the usual type of time travel situation." She paused and looked  
  
sternly at Raye. "Of course, she should make sure the she divulges  
  
nothing to her counterpart beyond the events of that day."  
  
"Don't worry," Raye promised. "I don't want to do anything to make  
  
things worse."  
  
Sisko paced the length of the room, considering. "Wouldn't Luna be  
  
a better choice?" he finally asked.  
  
"No," Raye replied, shaking her head. "Luna would never be able to  
  
keep something like this from Serena, and if she found out it would  
  
really cause problems. Besides, we have no easy way of contacting her  
  
alone. The same goes for Amy. On the other hand, if we do it early  
  
enough in the day, my double should be alone for long enough to talk to  
  
her."  
  
"Very well," Sisko said, agreeing reluctantly. "I'm not sure I like  
  
the idea, but since our resident expert on time agrees, I'll go along."  
  
"It's getting pretty late," Dax noted as they were nearing Serena's  
  
house. "Shouldn't Kira have called to let us know Serena was on her way  
  
to school by now?"  
  
Raye smirked. "You guys have been watching her for two days and  
  
you still don't know her very well. Just remember: all during the time  
  
I knew her, Serena was never on time for anything." Then a sorrowed look  
  
came over her face, "Except for her own funeral. She was way too early  
  
for that."  
  
Dax patted her on the shoulder. "That's what were here to change,  
  
remember?"  
  
Raye nodded, but before she could reply a loud cry came from up the  
  
street in the direction of the Tsukino residence. Guessing what would  
  
follow, Raye moved Dax off to one side safely out of the way and out of  
  
sight, just before a blonde blur came racing by them. Peering out, they  
  
saw Serena racing for school, Luna right beside her. "Serena," she said  
  
softly, and a rush of emotions swept through her at the sight of seeing  
  
her alive. She shook her head and blinked away the tears that had been  
  
forming. There wasn't any time for that.  
  
Unnoticed by her, the disguised Luna approached them, "Come on,  
  
Dax. It'll be hard enough to keep up with them as it is."  
  
"Where's Kira?" Dax inquired.  
  
"Back there," the cat answered. "Now let's move!" She raced off  
  
in pursuit of Serena and Dax followed her.  
  
Raye moved up the street in the opposite direction and found Kira  
  
extricating herself rather painfully from a rose bush. Kira glared at  
  
her after her slightly less than successful attempt to stifle a giggle.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure it's very funny," she commented, her tone indicating she  
  
thought otherwise.  
  
"Depends on your point of view, Major." Raye's smile grew broader as  
  
she thought of what Sisko's reaction would be when he heard about this.  
  
Kira was thinking along the same lines. "Don't mention this -- OW!"  
  
Kira winced as she tried to put her weight on her right foot. Evidently  
  
she had sprained her ankle as well. "...to anyone," she finished.  
  
"That's an order."  
  
Raye moved over to give her a hand. "Too bad.. you're not my  
  
commanding officer," she retorted as they made their way to a secluded  
  
spot.  
  
"I could always have Odo throw you in the brig," Kira threatened,  
  
but Raye could tell she wasn't serious. "Kira to Defiant... two to beam  
  
up."  
  
Raye felt the now familiar sensation of the transporter beam  
  
gripping them and Tokyo faded from view, to be replaced by the Defiant's  
  
transporter room. She heard Kira groan softly as they both saw that  
  
Sisko was waiting there to meet them.  
  
Sisko raised an eyebrow at the sight of Kira's tattered clothing as  
  
Raye helped her off the platform. "What happened to you?" he asked  
  
somewhat rhetorically, a slight smile coming to his face.  
  
"Serena," she said with a grimace, consigning herself to the  
  
inevitable. "Since it was getting so late, I figured she was staying  
  
home sick from school. Then I hear a shriek, so loud it would startle  
  
the Prophets, yelling something about being late. Less than a minute  
  
later, this blonde blur comes racing out the door, onto the street and  
  
bowls me over." Sisko chuckled, as did Raye, much to Kira's discomfort.  
  
"I don't think it's very funny."  
  
"Indeed? As I recall, you thought is was extremely funny yesterday...  
  
when a similar event happened to me."  
  
"Yes, sir," she said simply.  
  
Sisko allowed himself to savor the moment before getting back to  
  
business. "Let's forget it for now. I take it Serena made it to school  
  
safely."  
  
"She's on her way," Raye put in. "Luna -- that is, our Luna -- is  
  
following her, with Dax tailing her as well. They should be there soon."  
  
"Good. We'll have Odo take up the watch in a couple of hours, while  
  
we get ready. If we're right, the critical time will be this afternoon."  
  
Sisko dismissed them with a gesture, and Raye help Kira on her way to  
  
the medical bay.  
  
"Everything looks as it should," Dax commented. She and Luna were  
  
looking around the area of Crossroads Junior High after making sure that  
  
Serena had arrived safely, if a bit tardy.  
  
"So far," Luna observed, trying to stifle a catlike yawn.  
  
"You must be exhausted," Dax observed. "Odo should be here in a  
  
couple of hours to relieve you. You should get some rest then."  
  
"You won't get any argument from me," the feline said.  
  
Dax nodded. "OK, I've got to get back to the ship. I'll see you  
  
up there." Luna nodded before leaping from Dax's shoulder to find a  
  
good observation post.  
  
Dax was about to go on her way to the beam out point when she heard,  
  
"I thought it was just Meatballhead. Or do all cat owners talk to their  
  
pets as if they expect and answer?"  
  
The science officer turned to face her questioner, but she already  
  
knew who it was. Worf and Mercury had been most thorough in their  
  
briefings, covering everything from appearances to voices of the people  
  
around here. So she was not surprised to find herself facing Darien.  
  
One of the aft bridges doors snapped open to admit O'Brien. "Here  
  
you are, sir." He looked strange dressed in civilian clothing while  
  
standing on the bridge, but it was understandable given the nature of  
  
the assignment Sisko had given him. "Tickets to the ball game for all  
  
of us... Except for Luna and Odo, of course."  
  
A smile creased Sisko's face as he took the tickets in hand. "Good  
  
work, Chief."  
  
"You didn't have any trouble with your funny money, did you Miles?"  
  
Bashir asked.  
  
"Funny money?" Amy looked troubled. "You mean it was counterfeit?"  
  
"Well, not exactly. I mean, it wasn't real money, but there's no way  
  
you could tell it wasn't." O'Brien shrugged. "Since we used a replicator,  
  
it practically *is* the real thing."  
  
"I just wish we could take the time to actually see the game," Sisko  
  
said regretfully. "And it's too bad this didn't happen in North America.  
  
It would have been nice to see some of the contemporary Major League  
  
players in action... Cal Ripken, for example."  
  
"Or Nolan Ryan?" Kira suggested.  
  
Sisko grinned. "You've been studying, Major. But I'm afraid you're  
  
a few years too late for him."  
  
Everything seemed to be going according to plan, Raye observed as  
  
she walked down the corridor. The mess hall door opened automatically  
  
to admit her and she went over to the replicator. She noted that Dax  
  
and Worf were seated at one table, uncharacteristically silent.  
  
Something told her that they had been talking, but had stopped the  
  
moment she entered. Picking up the raktajino she ordered, she wandered  
  
over to them. "You know, I'm actually beginning to like this stuff,"  
  
she commented.  
  
"I've always liked it," Dax said, raising her own mug. Raye noted  
  
that Worf was drinking usual tall glass of prune juice, and repressed a  
  
shudder as she sat down.  
  
"So, are you two going to tell me what it was you were talking  
  
about when I came in?"  
  
"Who says we were talking about anything?" Dax asked.  
  
"Come on. You are hardly the silent type, Jadzia. And I got the  
  
feeling you two were in the middle of something when I came in." Raye  
  
leaned back in her chair and regarded the two Starfleet officers. "You  
  
were talking about Darien, weren't you?"  
  
Surprise registered on Dax's face, but Raye only saw a gleam of  
  
satisfaction on Worf's. "I told you she was perceptive," he said.  
  
"Well, there wasn't anything psychic about it," Raye admitted. "It  
  
was just a good guess."  
  
"A very good guess," Dax said. "But you were right, we were  
  
talking about him. I bumped into him during my away mission."  
  
"I wish I could go on those," Ray grumbled.  
  
"Soon," Worf said. "According to Pluto, the Negaverse is starting  
  
to move. The battle will take place today."  
  
Raye nodded, but turned back to Dax. "So, what were you saying  
  
about him."  
  
Dax grimaced. "I was just noting that he seemed... aloof."  
  
"It comes from the fact that he was an orphan. Being raised in an  
  
orphanage, he finds it hard to deal with people. So he keeps them at a  
  
distance." Raye paused, remembering her times with him. "Once you get  
  
to know him, he's easier to deal with."  
  
"Maybe it's just me," Dax said, "But I don't know what you saw in  
  
him... Or what Serena will see in him."  
  
"It has as much to do with the fact that he does not know who and  
  
what he is," Worf rumbled. "I met him well after he regained those  
  
memories. It was clear to me that he loved her deeply."  
  
Raye wasn't sure what Dax was up to, but the Trill smiled and winked  
  
at her. "Worf, you're a romantic," she teased him.  
  
"I am not," the Klingon denied.  
  
It might have gone on for some time, but there was a beep form the  
  
comm system. "Attention all away party members. Report to the  
  
transporter room. It's time to begin phase two."  
  
Sisko, with Major Kira beside him, peered through the bushes and  
  
watched Amy and Raye's past selves from his vantage point on the temple grounds. Amy was sitting calmly on the porch steps, reading a book,  
  
while Raye was pacing back and forth. She was obviously impatient about  
  
something. She wasn't the only one. He glanced up to Luna. "Where is  
  
she? I though you said Serena would be here by now?"  
  
Luna peered down from the tree branches, her current gold coloring  
  
standing out somewhat. "No, I said she *should* be here by now. With  
  
Serena, there's a big difference."  
  
"Well, where *is* she?" Kira snapped. "Everything hinges on keeping  
  
her safe!"  
  
"Probably on her way here," the cat responded calmly. "Don't worry,  
  
Odo said he'd keep a close eye on her. And from what I've seen, he's  
  
very good at that." She grimaced at the thought of how the Constable had  
  
gone about informing her. They had been lingering outside Serena's school  
  
for most of the day when Odo had come up to her, doing a very good  
  
imitation of herself! ('He may not be able to handle humanoids, but he's  
  
pretty good with animals,' she thought.) Luna had almost had a heart  
  
failure thinking that her counterpart had managed to come up to her  
  
without her sensing it. But she had fainted when Odo spoke to her from  
  
that form, using his own voice. "If there had been any problems, I'm sure  
  
he would have called."  
  
Sisko was not the only one concerned over Serena's tardiness.  
  
"She should be here soon," Raye reassured the large human next to  
  
her. She watched her past self pace impatiently back and forth, then  
  
glanced back to the equally impatient man. "Don't worry Worf, we still  
  
have time before the attack."  
  
The disguised Klingon frowned. "I would not use your memories of the  
  
past as a guide to the future here. We have already made some alterations  
  
to the timeline. The destruction of the Jem'Hadar ships by the Defiant  
  
will have some ripples in the course of events."  
  
"I know that," she snapped. There was an uncomfortable silence for  
  
a moment before she asked, "Worf, do you think the changes that've been  
  
made are enough to keep the Enterprise from being destroyed?"  
  
"At least initially," he answered. "But without Sailor Moon's  
  
presence, I don't think they will survive their entire encounter with  
  
Beryl's forces."  
  
"Well, Jeddite never found out our ID's, so she should be alright,  
  
as long as she doesn't transform first." Worf grunted noncommittally and  
  
they resumed their vigil in silence. Again Raye broke it, "Worf, can I  
  
ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Amy found out about the Klingon Death Howl and she told me about  
  
it. But Lita wasn't a Klingon. So why the howling after she died?"  
  
Worf frowned and pondered not answering her question, but that  
  
seemed dishonorable to him. "It was a... family matter."  
  
Raye seemed puzzled. "I don't understand."  
  
"When the Scouts visited the Enterprise D, I became friends with  
  
her. And it was a very close connection. Not in a romantic sense, but  
  
more along the lines of a brother and sister. So before they left, I  
  
decided to formalize it, and I accepted Lita into my family. She became  
  
a member of the House of Mogh." Worf decided to leave out how the House  
  
of Mogh had become dishonored recently by his opposing the actions of  
  
Chancellor Gowron. He could explain that later.  
  
"But the Lita I knew never went to the Enterprise. So why..."  
  
"It does not matter," Worf interrupted her. "The principle remains  
  
the same. *I* knew about it, and that is what mattered. And it extends  
  
to your pledge to her as well."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Lita requested that you stop Beryl, and you promised to do so. And  
  
by restoring the timeline to it's original state, it will be done. And  
  
as leader of the House of Mogh, her last request is binding on me also.  
  
Thus I must make sure that we are successful, no matter what the cost."  
  
"Even if it kills us."  
  
Worf nodded. "It is a good day to die."  
  
"You Klingons are a fatalistic bunch." Raye gave Worf another  
  
lookover. "It's still strange to see you looking like that, Worf. I'd  
  
just gotten used to your usual looks."  
  
Worf scowled at her, remembering. "It was your doing."  
  
"Hey, it was Amy's idea," she pointed out.  
  
"You had a hand in it."  
  
They had been assembled in the mess hall, while Kira outlined the  
  
plan they had come to for protecting Sailor Moon. As it became clear that  
  
the entire senior staff would be involved, Worf shifted slightly. Sisko  
  
asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Worf?"  
  
"It is the thought of undergoing cosmetic surgery to appear as a  
  
human, sir." He crossed his arms and grimaced. "It is not a prospect I  
  
relish, but I am willing to endure it if the mission requires."  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Worf," Sisko replied, "But with the possibility of  
  
Jem'Hadar soldiers being present, we're going to need our best people  
  
available. And you are undoubtably one of the better close combat  
  
experts I have on hand."  
  
"Aye, sir," the Klingon responded.  
  
Amy looked thoughtful. "I have a solution," she said. She handed  
  
Worf a odd looking device that was shaped rather like a pen. "We've used  
  
this in the past to disguise ourselves."  
  
Raye nodded approvingly. "Good idea, Amy."  
  
Worf took the proffered device and eyed it dubiously. He had heard  
  
about this it, but had never seen it in action. "How does it work?"  
  
Raye answered, "Just say "Disguise Power," then tell it what you want  
  
to be disguised as."  
  
"You've got to be kidding."  
  
Raye grinned. "Nope."  
  
"Give it a try, Commander," Sisko said.  
  
Worf grimaced, obviously more uncomfortable than before. "Aye,  
  
sir. Disguise power, make me look like a... human." He just about choked  
  
out the last word.  
  
The magic of the disguise pen flowed outward and enveloped Worf,  
  
obscuring him from sight for several seconds. When it cleared, Worf  
  
looked very much like a human.  
  
A rather large human. But human, nevertheless.  
  
Dax smiled. "Looks good on you." Worf only responded with a glare.  
  
The sound of a loud crash brought Worf back to the present. Both he  
  
and Raye looked concernedly in the direction of the nearby sound, but  
  
they relaxed upon hearing Dax's voice over the now open comm line.  
  
"Benjamin, we've located Serena." Amusement was clearly heard in her  
  
voice. "Julian just... ran into her."  
  
"Serena strikes again," Raye observed quietly, prompting a nod of  
  
agreement from Worf.  
  
Dax looked on, bemused as Bashir and Serena picked themselves up off  
  
the ground. A very familiar black cat sat beside them, a seemingly  
  
downcast expression on her face.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Serena said for what must have been the fifth time in  
  
a slightly panicked voice.  
  
"It's alright," Julian painfully reassured her yet again. In truth,  
  
he had heard her long before she had arrived, but revealing that might  
  
have given away his genetically enhanced status. Unfortunately, he had  
  
misjudged just how fast she was moving, thus resulting in the collision.  
  
"No permanent damage done. Are you OK, um...?" His voice trailed off as  
  
he feigned ignorance.  
  
"Oh, my name's Serena," she answered.  
  
"Bashir. Julian Bashir," the doctor replied smoothly. "If I may  
  
inquire, why are you in such a hurry?"  
  
"Oh, I'm on my way to meet some friends," she said in an offhand  
  
manner. "I got to school late today, so I got detention, and I just got  
  
out and now I'm way late to meet them and Raye can be *so* touchy..."  
  
Bashir nodded sympathetically. "Yes, I've noticed," he said quietly.  
  
"Huh?" Serena stared at him, genuinely puzzled. How could he know  
  
that? "You know Raye?" A slow smile crept over her face and then she said  
  
in a sly tone, "Oh, are you her boyfriend?"  
  
It was rare that Dax found herself struck speechless.  
  
She wasn't the only one. But Raye wasn't one to remain speechless  
  
for long.  
  
"Boyfriend?!?" she nearly shrieked just after there was an audible  
  
click indicating somebody had closed the open comm channel. "Him?"  
  
"I suggest you keep your voice down," Worf advised her. His  
  
expression remained stern, but his eyes glinted with amusement. "We do  
  
not want to attract any unnecessary attention."  
  
Raye turned from him and glowered, arms crossed, at a nearby tree.  
  
She continued to grumble, but her volume was much lower. "That little  
  
meatballhead..."  
  
Bashir sputtered momentarily, "No, she's not." He decided that  
  
changing the subject to cover his misstep would be the best strategy.  
  
"Who might your four legged friend be?"  
  
Serena glanced down to where Luna was looking impatiently back up at  
  
her. "This is my cat... her name's Luna."  
  
Bashir crouched down and gave Luna an obligatory scratch. "She  
  
seems intelligent..." Luna started to preen, "For a cat, that is."  
  
Luna stood stock still, and glared at the doctor.  
  
"For a cat?" Serena asked, not sure if she should be offended.  
  
"Yes, though I really can't be sure... I'm more of a dog person  
  
myself."  
  
Luna turned from Bashir, and marched over to Serena, batting a paw  
  
on her knee for attention.  
  
Serena eyed the cat, then her own eyes grew wide. "Oh, no... The  
  
time!" She began running up the path, then stopped and turned back to  
  
them. "See you later. Bye." After giving a last wave, she raced up the  
  
path to the shrine, the cat following her. Moments later a small black  
  
dog emerged from behind a nearby tree and, after giving the two Starfleet  
  
officers an ironic glance, followed her up the path.  
  
"It's hard to believe the fate of this Earth, and that of the  
  
Federation, depends on her," Bashir commented as he watched her enter.  
  
Dax tapped her comm badge to reopen the comm channel, then went up  
  
to Bashir. A keen observer would note a mischievous glint in her eyes.  
  
"So, you and Raye are an item now?"  
  
"Jadzia!"  
  
"You don't think she's attractive?"  
  
"Of course she is!" he exclaimed. "It's just that --" He stopped  
  
in midsentence as he realized just what Dax was up to.  
  
"Just that what?" a voice over the comm channel dangerously asked  
  
before he could form a suitable retort, causing Bashir to pale. It wasn't  
  
wise to offend, even accidentally, someone who literally could command  
  
fire.  
  
Fortunately, he was saved from further embarrassment. "Let's keep  
  
our minds on the business at hand, people," Sisko admonished them. "Dax?"  
  
"Serena's on her way, sir," she reported, now all business. "Odo's  
  
in position, as planned."  
  
"Good. Everyone keep your eyes open. Things are going to start  
  
happening in a hurry from here on."  
  
Raye confronted Serena the moment she arrived, hands planted on her  
  
hips. "It's about time you got here! What you do, stop at every ice  
  
cream shop along the way?" Amy looked questioningly at her, as did Luna.  
  
Certainly Raye had a history of snapping at people, Serena in particular,  
  
but she was acting much tenser than usual.  
  
The answer was that Raye had been sensing the watchers around the  
  
temple. But as she hadn't an accompanying sense of evil with it, she  
  
reasoned it was the others mention by Dax and her future self. This  
  
meant that the danger they mentioned was getting closer, and the added  
  
tension was driving her crazy.  
  
"As if," Serena replied. "I'll have you know I came straight here!  
  
Though I did bump into this really cute guy..." Her eyes narrowed and  
  
she looked at Raye speculatively, "By the way, he seemed to know you...  
  
is he by any chance your boyfriend?"  
  
"Huh? Who are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend!"  
  
Raye instantly regretted saying that.  
  
"Oh, so no wonder you're so cranky," Serena quipped  
  
Raye was trying to frame a proper retort when something in Serena's  
  
bag caught her eye. She reached into it and pulled out the comic in  
  
there. "Oh, sure you came straight here! AFTER you hit the comic book  
  
shop!"  
  
"Raye, give that back! It's mine!"  
  
Raye felt a lump form in her throat as she watched the ongoing  
  
argument between Serena and her counterpart. She had forgotten just  
  
much she missed those all too frequent arguments she had with Serena.  
  
Once again she found herself blinking back the tears that were forming,  
  
and her face settled into a mask of determination.  
  
There was no way in hell she was going to let Serena die this time.  
  
O'Brien looked around the concourse from a secluded alcove. He and  
  
Amy had been among the first people allowed inside, and several of the  
  
vendors were still setting things up. "Seems peaceful enough," he  
  
commented to his companion.  
  
She glanced down at her half hidden computer. "I'm afraid that's  
  
not going to last."  
  
"You picking up something?" he asked. He did a quick scan with a  
  
tricorder, trying to keep it concealed as well, "Because I'm not  
  
detecting anything."  
  
"That's because your tricorder isn't as sensitive to Negaverse  
  
activities as my computer." Amy stared pointedly at the stand that would  
  
be the source of the trouble to come. "Now that I know what to scan for,  
  
I can detect their activities." She grimaced, "The youma's activities,  
  
that is. I still don't have a clue where the shapeshifter is."  
  
"All right," O'Brien said. "Nothing for it but to wait." He  
  
glanced above and saw that there were several spots amid the rafters  
  
that someone could use to keep watch without being easily seen. And since  
  
the Scouts would meet him later, he needed to keep out of their sight.  
  
"You stay here. I'll find a secluded place and have the ship beam me up  
  
there."  
  
Raye and Serena found their argument interrupted when a small,  
  
black dog came up to them and began barking. It was about a half meter  
  
in length, with jet black fur and a small nub where it's tail should be.  
  
"Oh, you're cute," Serena giggled, motioning the canine to come closer.  
  
It did so, sniffing at her tentatively. She began petting it on the head,  
  
and it wagged it's excuse of a tail happily in response then stood on  
  
it's hind legs and placed it's forepaws on her knee as it begged for  
  
further attention.  
  
Raye's eyes narrowed as she examined the canine closely. She  
  
couldn't put her finger on it, but something about the dog seemed *wrong*  
  
to her. Still, she didn't sense anything evil about it. Could this be  
  
associated with the watchers Dax had mentioned earlier?  
  
She shook her head and tried to relax. She'd be glad when this day  
  
was over. All this worrying was going to giver her an ulcer... And she  
  
was much too young for that!  
  
"Odo seems to be enjoying this assignment," Sisko observed wryly.  
  
"He'd never admit it," Kira replied. "He'll just say that he was  
  
playing his part."  
  
"To the hilt."  
  
"Serena, leave that dog alone!" Luna insisted. "We've got Sailor  
  
business to attend to!"  
  
Serena shot a glare at the black cat, who was trying to keep Amy  
  
in between herself and the dog. "Stop being such a 'fraidycat, Luna!  
  
And what makes you think the Negaverse is going to try something? We  
  
just trashed them at Dreamland."  
  
"Oh,right," Raye snapped. "Like they're going to do nothing after  
  
that, Meatballhead?"  
  
Serena glared at Raye and was about to snap at her when Amy spoke  
  
up. "Luna might be right. They could be ready to try something again."  
  
"I think they *are* trying something," Luna said. "I found a  
  
report in a the newspaper this morning about people disappearing in  
  
the vicinity of the baseball stadium."  
  
"Oh, not again," Serena mumbled.  
  
Luna nodded. "I'm afraid so, Serena. We should go inves-- Now cut  
  
that out!" She directed the last at the dog, which had begun sniffing  
  
at her. "Oh, I hate dogs!"  
  
Odo inwardly nodded to himself, satisfied that this is Luna. So  
  
far there was no indication the changeling was present. It would most  
  
likely appear at the ballpark, as before.  
  
Meanwhile, the three girls had started to giggle at the sight.  
  
"I'm glad you all think this is so amusing," Luna said, her tone  
  
clearly indicating otherwise. "Now, come on!" She turned to leave,  
  
and the three girls followed her. Sensing something else following,  
  
Luna turned and saw the dog happily tagging along. "Oh, no you don't!  
  
Serena, tell that dog to stay here!"  
  
Serena sighed. "You heard her, girl. Stay!" The dog looked at  
  
her with sad eyes, and began to whimper and whine. "I don't think she  
  
want to stay, Luna."  
  
"We can't take her with us," Amy said. "It could be dangerous."  
  
"I've got an idea." Raye ran back inside and returned a few  
  
minutes later with a length of rope. She quickly tied the dog to a  
  
nearby tree, ignoring it's whining with difficulty. "There, that  
  
should hold her!"  
  
The three girls and cat left on their way, the dog watching them  
  
until they were out of sight. When they had gotten out of sight, the  
  
flesh of it's neck altered into a caramel colored gelatinous substance,  
  
and oozed it's way around the rope. It fell limply to the ground, and  
  
the dog raced after the scouts.  
  
Raye's counterpart nodded to Worf. "There they go." She tapped her  
  
comm badge as they followed at a distance. "Mars to Sisko. They're on  
  
their way."  
  
"We see it. Everyone else, go on ahead to the ballpark. Kira and  
  
I will follow them along the way."  
  
Pluto stood by the comm station on the bridge, monitoring the away  
  
teams transmission. So far everything seemed to be going as planned.  
  
But the critical time was yet to come.  
  
And there was still one detail to attend to here. The crew had  
  
been more concerned with saving Sailor Moon so they had ignored what  
  
to do with the extra quantum flux. It would have to be dealt with, else  
  
the Enterprise detect an extra one when it appeared here in a few months  
  
time. Fortunately, she and Q had discussed this before.  
  
She moved towards the engineering station. "Mr. Muniz..."  
  
The engineer turned to her. "Yes?"  
  
"I have a task for you to perform." She handed him a data padd.  
  
"I need you to modify a quantum torpedo along these parameters."  
  
Muniz examined the readout, then looked to Lt. Glynn, who had the  
  
conn. As the captain had instructed them to cooperate fully with  
  
Sailor Pluto, he nodded. Muniz got up. "OK. I'll get right on it."  
  
"What's wrong, Luna?" Serena asked worriedly. The black cat had  
  
halted as they were nearing the stadium and was looking about, her  
  
expression one of puzzlement. If fact, she had been looking around  
  
them all during the trek here, she reflected.  
  
"I'm not sure," she answered. "But I sense something odd around  
  
here. It's as if we're being followed."  
  
Raye frowned. She still had the feeling of being watched but it  
  
still felt like it had at the temple. Nothing about it felt evil or  
  
wrong, so it was probably still the others mentioned by Dax and her  
  
counterpart. Briefly she toyed with the idea of alerting Serena and  
  
Amy to what had happened that morning, but discarded it at once. Dax  
  
had been very clear that she should allow events to proceed normally,  
  
or else the Negaverse could back out of their current plan and start  
  
again, this time without Dax's people being aware of where things  
  
would happen. "Are you sure Luna? I don't sense anything evil," she  
  
said aloud.  
  
"Well, that settles it," Serena said. "Luna's going paranoid on  
  
us."  
  
"I am not!" the cat snapped. "There *is* something amiss around  
  
here. I just can't put my paw on it right now."  
  
"As if," Serena retorted. "First you come up with this idea that  
  
the Negaverse is going to strike at a *baseball stadium*, of all places,  
  
and now you're getting odd feelings that even Raye isn't having. Luna,  
  
you're going totally whacko on me."  
  
Luna glared at the blonde girl. "If I have gone insane, it's only  
  
because you've driven me over the edge, Serena," she said before going  
  
on her way.  
  
"Hey!" Serena cried before following her. "Luna, it's bad enough  
  
that buying a ticket into here will use almost all of my allowance! I  
  
don't need you needling me like that!"  
  
"If you'd stop buying all these comic books, you'd have more of  
  
your allowance available, meatballhead!" Raye snapped.  
  
"Oh, you're a fine one to talk about not buying comic books!"  
  
Serena retorted.  
  
Amy sighed. It was going to be a *long* day.  
  
Sisko glanced up from the program he had obtained. The three  
  
Sailor Scouts were nearby, close enough so that he could hear them  
  
talking. "I think Luna's right," Raye was saying. "I've been having a  
  
bad feeling about this place the moment we went through the gate."  
  
"This from a girl who decided *I* was evil and slapped a spirit  
  
ward on my forehead just minutes after meeting me?" Serena quipped.  
  
"That still doesn't make me feel any better about having to spend a good  
  
chunk of my allowance for a ticket."  
  
Raye's eyes narrowed, but Amy intervened before she could say  
  
anything. "We should split up to cover more ground. Luna and I will go  
  
this way and you two can check out the other direction."  
  
"Wait a minute! I want to go with you, Amy. Luna can go with  
  
the grouch!" Serena complained.  
  
"It sounds good to me," Raye said, prompting a series of astonished  
  
looks from the others. "Come on, Serena, let's go." Raye smoothly  
  
transferred the bag containing Luna from Serena to Amy, then took the  
  
blonde girl by the arm and began moving her down the concourse.  
  
Luna and Amy were still looking stunned when Sisko and Kira moved  
  
to follow the two girls.  
  
Amy watched from her own vantage point as Serena and Raye moved up  
  
the concourse. As soon as they passed by, she began moving in the  
  
opposite direction, moving to where her own counterpart had gone.  
  
"Here they come," Bashir noted.  
  
Dax nodded, but otherwise did not reply. She and Bashir had taken  
  
up position nearby the concession stand that should be the Negaverse  
  
front (assuming, of course, that things were still proceeding along  
  
those lines), but not so close as to be inside the presumed illusion  
  
field. Raye (present day version) and Serena were approaching, just as  
  
they should be. In the background she could see Benjamin and Kira  
  
following them, but she had no idea where Worf and Raye were.  
  
It was at that moment that Serena caught sight of the prices, and  
  
she immediately headed for the booth. Raye grabbed her by the arm. "What  
  
do you think you're doing?" Dax heard her ask, her voice low but still  
  
loud enough to carry to Dax's position. "We're here on business Serena,  
  
remember? Besides, it could be dangerous!"  
  
"Dangerous?!?" Serena asked incredulously. "Here? Raye, you're  
  
getting way worse than Luna. Now let go!" With that she tore her arm  
  
free and headed for the line.  
  
Raye seemed about ready to try and stope her again, but she spotted  
  
Dax nearby. The Trill gave her a reassuring nod, indicating to Raye that  
  
help was nearby. She relaxed a bit and followed Serena towards the booth.  
  
The moment Raye took her place in line, the bad feeling she had been  
  
having the entire day intensified dramatically. There was definitely  
  
something evil nearby. Her eyes narrowed and she flitted her gaze back  
  
and forth over the throng in an attempt to localize it. 'Here we go,'  
  
she thought.  
  
Luna poked her head up from the bag she was concealed in.  
  
"Anything, Amy?"  
  
"Nothing concrete," she replied. She tapped a couple of times on  
  
her palmtop and frowned. "So far there's no indication of Negaverse  
  
activity, but I'm picking up several anomalous readings. Including one  
  
that's --"  
  
"Just about on top of you?" Amy whirled about to confront the voice  
  
from behind her and gasped. Luna found herself similarly stunned. The  
  
girl who had spoken to them was dressed differently from Amy, but was in  
  
all other respects identical to her. "You're computer is picking up me  
  
and my computer as well." She gestured with her own palmtop, which Amy  
  
saw was identical to her own.  
  
"Who are you?" Amy asked as soon as she found her voice.  
  
"I'm you. Almost a year older, but you nevertheless. You can  
  
confirm that with a scan." She paused while Amy started the scanning  
  
process, examining both her double and the computer she held. "The  
  
reason you're not picking any Negaverse activity is because they've  
  
screened themselves behind an illusion field."  
  
"How do you know?" Luna asked.  
  
"Because I've lived this day before Luna. That's why I'm here --  
  
to make sure it doesn't go wrong again."  
  
Before Luna could ask any more questions, there was a beep from  
  
Amy's computer. "She is me," Amy stated. "Allowing for nine months  
  
of growth, she is in every other respect identical... even down to the  
  
DNA. And her computer is exactly the same as mine."  
  
"Of course," her double replied. "I'm you, just a little older."  
  
She gestured, indicating the direction Raye and Serena had gone. "Now  
  
come on. I'm going to need your help when the trouble starts." She  
  
started, and Amy followed her after a moment.  
  
She ran for a second to catch up. "What do you mean about trouble?"  
  
"Luna was right about this being a Negaverse operation," her older  
  
self explained. "But it's not quite a standard energy gathering  
  
operation. It's a trap as well. And if we're not careful, Sailor Moon  
  
is going to be killed... again."  
  
O'Brien stared down at the concession booth, fingering his phaser  
  
rifle. All looked normal as far as he could tell, but his tricorder  
  
was giving indications that *something* was up.  
  
Suddenly the illusion field surrounding it collapsed, and O'Brien  
  
could see the chaos that was unfolding below. People were scrambling to  
  
their feet and starting to flee in panic, while the youma (Rybite was  
  
it's name, the Chief recalled) was standing on the counter. "I don't  
  
believe it," O'Brien muttered as he gawked at it. "It *does* look like  
  
a Cardie."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Then several motions at the edge of his vision caught his eye.  
  
"What the hell...?"  
  
Both Amy's saw the commotion starting in the distance. "Oh, hell,"  
  
the Amy from the future exclaimed much to her counterpart's  
  
consternation. "It's already starting."  
  
"Then we better get moving," Luna said. The black cat was trying  
  
her best to conceal it, but she had been badly shaken by the other Amy's  
  
tale of what had happened in her past during the next few minutes. "You  
  
two have got to find that shapeshifter."  
  
"I wonder if it could have been that dog," Amy mused as they  
  
hurried.  
  
"No, that was Odo. He's on our side," her double explained.  
  
"He --" A beeping sounded from her computer, accompanied by similar  
  
beeping from Amy's. "Oh, no. They're here," she muttered as she examined  
  
the readings. She tapped a medallion she wore just over her left breast.  
  
"Mizuno to Sisko. I've just detected..."  
  
"We see it," a deep voice responded from the medallion. "Get back  
  
here at once." Amy nodded to herself as she led her counterpart along.  
  
Phase three had begun.  
  
O'Brien watched from his vantage point as three very familiar and  
  
armed shapes shimmered into view on the outskirts of the panicking  
  
crowd. "That's all we bloody well need," he muttered darkly.  
  
"Jem'Hadar!"  
  
Next time: The battle for the future of two universes is on! The  
  
combined forces of the Defiant's crew and the Sailor Scouts up against  
  
the Jem'Hadar. And the Changeling is sure to be somewhere nearby. Be  
  
here next time for the finale in Chapter 7.  
  
Note: Odo was imitating a schipperke (pronounce "skipper key"), which is  
  
a Belgium breed of dog. The reason I picked this breed as opposed to a  
  
more common one is because my brother has one. Why not? 


	7. Chapter 7 - No greater love than this...

Sailor Trek DS9 - Chapter 7  
  
soton@aol.com (Soton)  
  
  
  
Here's Chapter 7. There's an epilogue that will follow within the next two  
  
weeks.  
  
==================================  
  
[Authors note -- With all these duplicate Sailors around, it's going to  
  
get a bit confusing. For clarity's sake, the Scouts from the alternate  
  
timeline will be referred to as simply "Mars" and "Mercury"; whereas the  
  
'present day' versions will be referred to as "Sailor Mars" and "Sailor  
  
Mercury".]  
  
"Never underestimate the element of surprise"  
  
- Odo  
  
"It's time for Sailor Moon!"  
  
-Luna  
  
Chapter 7 - "No greater love than this..."  
  
Serena looked around wildly at the Jem'Hadar that had appeared  
  
around the crowd. "Who are these guys?!?" she wailed. "They've got  
  
GUNS!!"  
  
"Look again, meatballhead. Those aren't any type of guns I've ever  
  
seen," Raye snapped while eying the three aliens, noting to herself that  
  
Dax and her counterpart had made no mention at all about them.  
  
Serena went instantly from near terror to anger, and glowered at  
  
Raye, "Stop calling me MEATBALLHEAD!"  
  
Now unnoticed by the increasingly panicky crowd, the youma Rybite  
  
still stood atop the counter muttering incomprehensibly. But it seemed  
  
more irritated at the Jem'Hadar for interrupting it's operation than  
  
anything else.  
  
So intent was it at glaring at the warriors from the Dominion that  
  
it missed a figure in a red sailor outfit landing nearby on the  
  
countertop, followed by two others in blue. Mercury gave Rybite a solid  
  
kick to it's midsection as she landed, sending the youma flying so that  
  
it landed in a sitting position atop the grill. The youma howled in pain  
  
as it tried franticly to scurry off. It's antics earned it contemptuous  
  
glares from the Jem'Hadar and the nearest one slammed the butt of it's  
  
weapon into the youma's face, rendering it unconscious.  
  
Mars leveled an accusing finger at the alien soldiers. "This is a  
  
place for people to enjoy themselves, not for you to steal their energy!  
  
In the name of Mars..."  
  
"...and Mercury..." the other two cried out in unison.  
  
"...we'll punish you!" they finished together.  
  
"Huh?" Serena looked at the three Scouts, then at Raye standing  
  
beside her, then back again. "Another Sailor Mars? *Two* Sailor  
  
Mercuries? What's going on?!?" Then she realized, "And they're stealing  
  
my lines!"  
  
The Jem'Hadar didn't bother asking questions, as always preferring  
  
action instead. They aimed their weapons at the three Scouts and began  
  
firing. While they dodged the weapons fire, everyone in the crowd  
  
started running for cover. Raye took advantage of the tumult and grabbed  
  
Serena by the arm, dragging her around the corner where Luna joined them.  
  
"What's going on?" Serena demanded again.  
  
Raye ignored her question for the moment as she checked up on the  
  
battle. Her counterpart had already toasted one of the aliens that she  
  
and Dax had so conveniently not mentioned. Or it as more likely they  
  
didn't know they were going to show up, she mused. "I should have  
  
expected Amy's double would be here, too," she muttered. "There's no  
  
sign of that shapeshifter though."  
  
"What was that?" Serena asked. "Raye, do you know something I  
  
don't?"  
  
"A lot of things," she responded automatically. At Serena's glare  
  
she added, "But right now the important thing is that they need our  
  
help," pointing to the fight. Mars had already toasted the first  
  
three Jem'Hadar, but more were appearing out of the woodwork. "There  
  
are more of those creeps."  
  
"Yes," Luna agreed. "Transform now! But be careful. You  
  
especially, Serena."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Raye raised her transformation pen skyward. "MARS POWER!" When  
  
the transformation was complete, Sailor Mars looked at Serena. "Well,  
  
what are you waiting for?"  
  
"Stop giving me orders," she grumbled.  
  
"Serena!" Luna admonished her.  
  
"All right already... MOON PRISM POWER!"  
  
Sisko put a restraining hand on Kira, who had been getting ready to  
  
fire, "Not yet, Major." Over the comm he added, "Hold your fire  
  
everyone."  
  
"But sir!" Worf protested.  
  
"That's an order, Mr. Worf. We have to wait until the changeling  
  
reveals itself before we make our move. If we show ourselves too soon,  
  
the changeling will leave and we'll have no idea where or when it will  
  
strike next." He glanced over at the raging battle and grimaced. "I  
  
don't like it any more than you, but Mars and Mercury can take care of  
  
themselves. Besides," he nodded to a small dog that had taken position  
  
near the concession stand, "Odo can help them out in the meantime."  
  
Kira nodded, agreeing reluctantly as a rush of movement caught her  
  
eye. Sailor Moon now stood atop the counter, with another Sailor Mars  
  
beside her. "All right, I don't know who all the extra Sailor Scouts  
  
are, but I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice! I right wrongs and  
  
triumph over evil!" She pointed at the nearest Jem'Hadar. "And that  
  
means you... oofff!" The Jem'Hadar had not been not impressed with  
  
her entrance, and one of them was in the process of firing at her when  
  
Mars shoved the blonde Scout out of the way and she fell down behind  
  
the counter. The energy bolt impacted harmlessly above her. "Owie..."  
  
She got back to her feet, rubbing her head painfully and glared at both  
  
Sailor Scouts of the red planet. "Thanks a lot, Mars!"  
  
"Sure, blame me!" Sailor Mars retorted.  
  
"Excuse me, I was only SAVING YOUR LIFE!" Mars exclaimed in the  
  
same instant.  
  
Sailor Moon was framing a suitable response when she realized that  
  
the aliens had stopped firing. The became immediately obvious, for a  
  
tall, tuxedo clad figure was standing between her and the Jem'Hadar.  
  
"It's not nice to interrupt a lady," he admonished the aliens, who  
  
seemed uncertain now and were hesitantly retreating.  
  
Sailor Mars looked at Tuxedo Mask, but hesitated. She couldn't  
  
put her finger on it, but something was giving her an odd feeling.  
  
Mars frowned. Tuxedo Mask hadn't shown up this early the last  
  
time. That could a result of the changes they'd made, but something  
  
didn't quite feel right.  
  
For her part, Sailor Moon was overjoyed. "Tuxedo Mask! You came!"  
  
He turned and gave her a dazzling smile. "Of course, Sailor Moon."  
  
He was just starting to reach in her direction when a small black dog  
  
jumped up and bit him on the hand. "Huh?"  
  
Sailor Moon was similarly surprised, perhaps even more so. She  
  
wasn't entirely sure, but it certainly appeared to be the same dog that  
  
they had left behind at the temple. But how could it be here? Raye had  
  
tied it up back there!  
  
Hadn't she?  
  
She put that aside for the moment, trying instead to concentrate on  
  
the events before her. "Bad dog!" she yelled, giving it a good solid  
  
swat on the rump. "Tuxedo Mask is our friend!" The dog didn't seem to  
  
react other than by biting down harder and perhaps glaring at her as well,  
  
but before she could do anything else there was a flash of red in front  
  
of her eyes. Sailor Moon jumped backwards a half step and gasped when  
  
she got a good look at the countertop.  
  
There was a red rose embedded in it.  
  
Sisko tensed as Odo moved in on Tuxedo Mask. He knew the Constable  
  
wouldn't make a move unless he sensed something. Perhaps...  
  
"Benjamin!" Dax called over the comm, "Look above you!"  
  
He glanced upward and immediately saw among the rafters what Dax was  
  
talking about.  
  
Sailor Moon looked upwards to where the rose had been thrown from  
  
and gaped. Standing on a girder, cape flowing behind him was Tuxedo  
  
Mask. Another one! She glanced back and forth between the two, now  
  
utterly confused. "Watch yourself, Sailor Moon! I don't know who that  
  
guy is, but he isn't me!"  
  
Odo chose that moment to morph, shifting back to his usual humanoid  
  
form. He had a hand firmly clenched around one of the fake Tuxedo  
  
Mask's wrists. "I would appreciate it if you didn't hit me again," he  
  
told her with out looking back. "I am trying to help." To the fake he  
  
added, "Both of you."  
  
"I don't need your *help*, Odo!" the changeling snarled. Then it  
  
said to the Jem'Hadar, "Kill them!"  
  
"The changeling's out of the bag. Move in!" Sisko ordered as more  
  
Jem'Hadar, nearly a dozen in all, appeared. Half of them fell as the  
  
Defiant crewmembers opened fire on them. For his part, Odo was now  
  
locked in a struggle with the changeling, their forms mingling as they  
  
fought.  
  
Nearby a Jem'Hadar appeared near Sailor Moon, his weapon aimed in  
  
her direction. But before he could take any action, O'Brien snapped off  
  
a shot from his position above and hit him squarely. Despite this, his  
  
weapon still discharged as he fell. A cry of pain was heard that  
  
clearly belonged to Sailor Moon.  
  
"NO!" Mars charged towards where Sailor Moon had fallen, but  
  
Bashir somehow beat her there and vaulted over the counter. Mars peered  
  
over it and saw that the blonde Scout was down on her knees, clutching  
  
her upper left arm.  
  
"Here, let me take a look at that," Bashir said to her, as he  
  
automatically began scanning with the medical tricorder. It confirmed  
  
his initial inspection of the wound. He looked up to Mars. "It's  
  
alright," he told the worried Scout. "It's only a graze." Mars sighed,  
  
clearly relieved.  
  
Kira joined them and moved behind the counter herself. "Go on.  
  
I've got them covered," she told Mars. Mars nodded and rejoined the  
  
fight.  
  
There is an old military adage that says that no battle plan  
  
survives first contact with the enemy, and that was certainly true in  
  
this case. Kira's plan had called for the Defiant crew members to fire  
  
on the Jem'Hadar from cover, with Mars and Mercury working in concert  
  
with the other Sailor Scouts. Surprise enabled this plan to work for  
  
all of five seconds, and nearly a dozen of the Dominion soldiers were  
  
strewn around the area, either killed by phaser beams or reduced to  
  
charcoal by Mars and her counterpart.  
  
But the Jem'Hadar were bred for battle, and thus they adjusted to  
  
the circumstances. After the initial barrage, the away team members  
  
found more Jem'Hadar appearing from out of their camouflage fields nearly  
  
on top of them and close order combat became the order of the day.  
  
Bashir rummaged in the medkit for the dermal regenerator, trying to  
  
ignore the sounds of combat around them. "Don't worry. It's not that  
  
bad," he reassured his patient. He took out the instrument from the kit,  
  
activated it and began running it over the wound. "Just a few minutes,  
  
and you'll be good as new."  
  
Sailor Moon smiled slightly as the pain ebbed, then her eyes  
  
widened in recognition. "You again?"  
  
Bashir smiled. "Yes, me again. Don't worry, I'm a doctor."  
  
Sailor Moon looked doubtful. "I've never seen a doctor use  
  
anything like that before!"  
  
He hesitated before answering. "It... is a rather long story."  
  
"You can tell it later, Doctor," Kira said, ducking from incoming  
  
fire. She got up to return fire but stopped as her target collapsed, a  
  
rose embedded in his throat.  
  
Sailor Moon eyed Kira closely while Bashir continued to work. There  
  
was something familiar about her, but she couldn't place her at the  
  
moment. "What happened to your nose?"  
  
Kira's had reflexively went to the patch she was wearing on her nose  
  
to cover her distinctively Bajoran nose ridges. "Um... I broke my nose,"  
  
she said, wincing internally. 'You'd have thought by now I'd have a  
  
better excuse lined up,' she thought.  
  
Sailor Moon frowned. "Hey, if you're such a good doctor, why don't  
  
you fix her nose?" she asked Bashir.  
  
"Well, I could..." Bashir began, but Kira interrupted him.  
  
"Doctor, you even *touch* my nose, I will break yours."  
  
"Understood, Major."  
  
"Gee, she's just as bad tempered as Mars," Sailor Moon observed.  
  
"I am *not* bad tempered!!" came two very loud responses from  
  
somewhere in the middle of the fighting.  
  
Sailor Moon reflexively winced under the verbal barrage. Getting  
  
yelled at by Mars was bad enough, but it was infinitely worse when it was  
  
in stereo.  
  
Luna looked on concernedly as Bashir worked on Sailor Moon and was  
  
soon aware that she wasn't alone. A golden haired cat had joined her  
  
vigil. In fact... "You again!"  
  
The other cat started then glared at her, "You were expecting  
  
someone else?"  
  
Luna blinked, startled to hear her own voice come from the other  
  
cat. However, she soon made a quick deduction. "You're *my*  
  
counterpart, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes," she replied. "I've been helping them keep an eye on  
  
Serena."  
  
"I can understand why. But what happened to your fur? Why change  
  
it to *that* color?"  
  
Her counterpart cringed slightly as she glanced again at her fur,  
  
but before she could answer Bashir spoke up. "Maybe she wanted to find  
  
out if it was true that blondes have more fun," he quipped while  
  
examining his handiwork. He was nodding in satisfaction when a sudden  
  
stab of pain made him yelp and his hand went reflexively to his neck.  
  
It came away tinged with red from the scratches there.  
  
"Physician, heal thyself," the golden haired cat said while  
  
sheathing her claws.  
  
"Nicely done," Luna complimented her counterpart.  
  
Several meters above them, O'Brien aimed carefully once again and  
  
squeezed the trigger and another Jem'Hadar dropped. So far he had  
  
been successful in providing covering fire from his vantage point, but  
  
as the combat became more intermixed, he had to be exceedingly selective  
  
in his target selection. Since only the kill settings were effective  
  
against the Jem'Hadar, a friendly fire incident here would be  
  
disastrous.  
  
But it wasn't long before the Jem'Hadar became aware that there was  
  
a sniper among the girders. Three of them began firing in his direction,  
  
their weapons firing several energy pulses as they swept the area.  
  
O'Brien hunkered down as best he could, but the incoming fire somehow  
  
triggered a minor explosion that sent him flying off his perch.  
  
And it was a long way down.  
  
Sisko watched helplessly as O'Brien tumbled downward to what surely  
  
would be a fatal landing. When he had reached the halfway point, a black  
  
blur intercepted him in midair. The next thing Sisko knew, O'Brien had  
  
been returned safely to the ground by Tuxedo Mask.  
  
O'Brien blinked, amazed to still be alive. Tuxedo Mask stood next  
  
to him for a moment, then went wordlessly back into the fray. "Uh,  
  
thanks," the chief belatedly said, then went to find another spot to  
  
fire from. This time, he told himself, he was keeping his feet on  
  
terra firma.  
  
"Ow!" Mars grimaced as a Jem'Hadar grabbed her long hair. Seeing  
  
her plight, Sisko charged into the Dominion soldier, using his shoulder  
  
to bowl him over as if he were trying to dislodge a catcher blocking  
  
home plate. The Jem'Hadar was forced to release his grip on Mars, but  
  
smoothly rolled back to his feet and aimed his weapon at the captain.  
  
"MARS FIRE IGNITE!" Sailor Mars cried out, sending a wash of flame  
  
at the Jem'Hadar and turning him into a pile of ash. But before any  
  
thanks could be exchanged, two more appeared in front of the three.  
  
"Where do these guys keep coming from?" Sailor Mars wondered.  
  
"They're all around us, just invisible," Mars explained to her  
  
younger self as the Jem'Hadar were suddenly knocked off their feet by  
  
Tuxedo Mask, who was using his cane to great effect. "Just remember,  
  
we have to keep them from harming Sailor Moon, no matter what!"  
  
Kira watched the battle unfold, firing whenever a Jem'Hadar got too  
  
close to her position. From what she could tell by half listening,  
  
Bashir had all but finished treating Sailor Moon. A part of her wished  
  
he would drag it out. Since her survival was pivotal to the timeline,  
  
it would be easier if she could be kept out of the fighting.  
  
She caught a flash of movement to her left out of the corner of her  
  
eye. Turning rapidly, she saw the youma Rybite staggering to it's feet.  
  
It saw her in the same instant and hissed something at her in it's  
  
incomprehensible manner.  
  
Except that Kira seemed to understand it. Her eyes widened and  
  
she charged at the youma, vaulting back over the counter to do so. "You  
  
little..." Disregarding her weapon, she slammed the heel of her right  
  
palm into the youma's face and followed it up with a rapid series of  
  
blows that staggered it. Then she grabbed the youma by the hair and  
  
slammed it's head repeatedly against the countertop. After about the  
  
sixth or seventh blow, she let it go and it dropped to the ground and  
  
lay unmoving. "Shut up! Just *SHUT UP*!"  
  
Bashir and Sailor Moon peered over the counter and watched this  
  
wide eyed. "Kira, what did it say?" he asked. "And how did you  
  
understand it?"  
  
"It was speaking a very accented version of Cardassian," she  
  
explained, catching her breath. "And believe me, Doctor, you *don't*  
  
want to know what it said!"  
  
She gave the youma one more kick for good measure, then felt a  
  
surge of pain as a Jem'Hadar shot her from behind. Crying out, she  
  
fell forward from the impact of the blast in her shoulder.  
  
"Kira!" Bashir scrambled towards her, heedless of his own  
  
safety. Indeed, the Jem'Hadar that had shot Kira was now taking aim at  
  
him. However...  
  
"MOON TIARA MAGIC!"  
  
The energy discus flew over the doctor's head and sliced through  
  
the Jem'Hadar, leaving behind only a pile of dust. "You're moondust!"  
  
Worf grappled with one of the Jem'Hadar. As yet, neither warrior  
  
could gain the upper hand, resulting in a stalemate. "You are strong  
  
for a human," the Jem'Hadar conceded. Worf suppressed the automatic  
  
snarl at being mistaken for a human, trying instead to focus himself on  
  
the struggle. "But soon you will fall like the rest of your pathetic  
  
race. And the Negaverse will be triumphant!"  
  
"The Negaverse?" Worf asked tightly. "Don't you mean the Dominion?"  
  
The Jem'Hadar seemed startled, but that didn't affect his grip.  
  
"How do you know about that?"  
  
"I know many things," Worf snarled. "Among them... is that today  
  
is a good day to die!" As he spoke the last words, Worf brought his  
  
head snapping forward in a savage head butt. The Jem'Hadar was caught  
  
completely off guard and he reeled backwards, stunned.  
  
Worf was moving to finish him off when the Dominion soldier was  
  
struck down by a distant phaser blast. Worf nodded his thanks to  
  
O'Brien before retrieving his own weapon and searching for another  
  
target.  
  
Dax fell to the ground, gasping in pain from the wound in her  
  
leg. Despite the agony, she could see the Jem'Hadar that had shot her  
  
lining up for another shot.  
  
One that it never got a chance at, for Mercury came into view at  
  
that moment and delivered a flying kick to it's head.  
  
Mercury grimaced as the Dominion warrior struggled back to it's  
  
feet. Pluto had admonished her and Mars against using their newer  
  
powers (except in case of a dire emergency) least the timeline be  
  
disrupted further. But now Dax was badly wounded and immobile. She  
  
could only...  
  
"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!" Sailor Mercury cried out, shrouding the  
  
battlefield in a dense layer of fog. The Jem'Hadar looked around,  
  
suddenly unable to see anything around it. Mercury took advantage of  
  
the opportunity to deliver another flying kick, while her counterpart  
  
hit the alien low. The Jem'Hadar fell to the ground once again and was  
  
struck by a phaser blast as it struggled to rise. Mercury looked back  
  
and saw that Dax had managed to retrieve her weapon. Around them, the  
  
Defiant crew were taking advantage of the Jem'Hadar's sudden inability  
  
to see by phasering as many as they could, and each Sailors Mars did  
  
likewise.  
  
Mercury went over to Dax as soon as she could and scanned her,  
  
Sailor Mercury looking over her shoulder. "How is she?"  
  
"It could be better," Mercury admitted. "She's bleeding badly from  
  
the major artery in her leg."  
  
"You mean the femoral artery?"  
  
"She isn't human, so I don't think those terms apply," Mercury  
  
told Sailor Mercury, who acknowledged this with a nod. Mercury tapped  
  
on Dax's comm badge, "Mercury to Defiant, one to beam up, medical  
  
emergency." Seconds later, Dax vanished in the transporter beam.  
  
The fog dispersed as the weapons fire ceased. The Defiant away  
  
team and the sailor Scouts looked around, but all that could be seen  
  
were the motionless forms of the Jem'Hadar soldiers that had fallen.  
  
Sisko judged that there had nearly been two dozen in all. They had been  
  
lucky to have only two of his people wounded. He wasn't sure about Dax's  
  
condition, but Kira was moving about again. Bashir had patched her  
  
shoulder somewhat, but the Major stubbornly resisted his requests that  
  
she return to the ship. He knew better than to try to convince her  
  
himself.  
  
Kira had good reason, as there was at least one aspect of the  
  
struggle that remained unresolved; namely Odo still struggling with the  
  
changeling. At this point it was nigh impossible to tell which one was  
  
which. Unable to do anything else, they watched as the two fought.  
  
Finally, there was a violent upheaval and the changelings separated. Odo  
  
took a moment and reformed into his normal humanoid shape.  
  
A few meters away, Odo reformed into his usual humanoid appearance.  
  
Mars glanced between the two. As far as anyone could see, they  
  
were identical. There was no visible means of discerning one from the  
  
other. "I see what Odo meant when he said it could be anyone."  
  
O'Brien looked at the two Odos from his vantage point and felt a  
  
sudden sense of deja vu. "Not again," he groaned. This was too much  
  
like the time in the Defiant's engine room for him. "I hate playing  
  
'Choose the Changeling'!"  
  
Tuxedo Mask glanced between the two changelings. He had a rose at  
  
the ready, but wasn't sure which target to throw it at. "How do you  
  
tell them apart?"  
  
"We're still unable to tell whether or not someone is being  
  
impersonated by a changeling," Sisko admitted. "Let alone tell two of  
  
them apart."  
  
"Great."  
  
Odo glared at his counterpart. "I'm Odo, Captain. He's the  
  
changeling!"  
  
"Don't listen to him, Captain," Odo urged. "I'm Odo."  
  
Mars walked around the two of them, trying to discern anything  
  
distinctive about either changeling. Unfortunately, there was nothing  
  
about them that appeared different from the other. Neither her physical  
  
senses, nor her psychic ones could tell them apart. The changeling had  
  
successfully imitated Odo in every way. A glance at Sailor Mars told her  
  
that she wasn't having any better luck.  
  
Both Mercuries had deployed their visors and were busily scanning.  
  
"I'm picking up some minute differences between them," Sailor Mercury  
  
quietly told Mercury. "But I'm not sure how to determine which is which.  
  
I have no data to base a comparison on."  
  
"Don't worry," Mercury told her, smiling grimly. "I do." To  
  
herself she added a silent 'I hope.' Several quick taps on the keypad  
  
accessed the data that she had accumulated in previous scans she had taken  
  
of Odo. She linked it with the data she was currently accumulating and  
  
did a quick comparison, hoping that whatever means the Negaverse was using  
  
to control the changeling would leave some discernable trace that she  
  
could use to distinguish Odo from the other changeling.  
  
The results weren't long in coming. After a moment, she pointed to  
  
the Odo on the right, "You! You're the imposter!"  
  
The changeling's form shifted as it tried to flee but Odo was ready  
  
for that, using his own shapeshifting abilities to first snare the  
  
changeling then merge with it. The changeling struggled mightily, but  
  
Odo held it fast, though his face showed the effort it was taking him.  
  
"Can you hold it, Odo?" Kira asked.  
  
"For a while," he answered, his voice strained. "We have to find a  
  
way to contain it before then."  
  
Sisko tapped on his comm badge. "Sisko to Defiant, lock onto the  
  
changeling and Odo. Beam them to a security cell."  
  
"We're trying, sir," came the reply moments later, "But we can't  
  
get a lock on either of them. Something's interfering with the targeting  
  
scanners."  
  
Sisko grimaced. There seemed to be only one way remaining to deal  
  
with the changeling. And it was something that Odo was not going to  
  
like. "Odo, when I give the word, I want you to release your hold on it.  
  
At the same time, everyone is to open fire."  
  
"Captain!" Odo protested, "There must be another way!"  
  
"There is." All eyes turned to Mars. "I think I can expel whatever  
  
the Negaverse is using to control the changeling from it."  
  
"Are you sure?" Sisko asked.  
  
"Only one way to find out." Mars approached the struggling  
  
changeling, readying a spirit ward. A part of her was telling her that  
  
she should use her flames and blast the changeling now, to not take the  
  
chance on things going wrong again. However, Odo had saved her life  
  
twice before and it was important to him that they not kill the  
  
changeling. She owed it to him to at least make the attempt. She placed  
  
the ward on the amorphous mass, crying out, "EVIL SPIRIT BEGONE!"  
  
The results were immediate. The Founder uttered a loud, inhuman cry  
  
and an aura of dark energy surrounded it before leaving the changeling.  
  
However, it didn't flee to the air as Mars had anticipated, but instead  
  
traveled through the link to Odo. Now it was the Constable who cried out  
  
and he released his hold on the changeling, which collapsed into an  
  
insensate mass.  
  
"Odo!" Kira exclaimed as she went to her friend. Odo snarled and  
  
lashed out at her, knocking the Major backwards several meters. She  
  
grimaced in pain as she landed on her wounded shoulder.  
  
"No!" Odo exclaimed when he realized what he'd done. Mercury went  
  
over to Kira, who indicated that she was OK, though still shaken. She  
  
got unsteadily to her feet with Mercury's help. "Stay back, everyone,  
  
please... it's trying to make me kill you all. I'm resisting it... for  
  
now..."  
  
"This wasn't what I had in mind," Mars muttered. She leapt for Odo,  
  
trying to land behind him and plant another ward. However, the constable  
  
seemed to anticipate this, and he lashed out at her just before she  
  
landed. Mars impacted hard against a girder, and Sailor Moon went over  
  
to her immediately.  
  
"My turn," Sailor Mars said, readying her own ward. She tensed  
  
herself to race for the possessed changeling, but first... "Cover me,  
  
Mercury!"  
  
"Right!" both Mercuries responded. "MERCURY BUBBLES... BLAST!"  
  
Another layer of fog descended over the area, this one even denser  
  
than the first. Sailor Mars raced forward, taking advantage of the cover  
  
as she charged the ward. Leaping forward for the last few meters, she  
  
planted it firmly on Odo's forehead, "EVIL SPIRIT... BEGONE!"  
  
The Negaverse spirit screamed again as it found itself again forced  
  
from a host body. This time it lacked a conduit to escape through, and  
  
it formed overhead into a dark cloud that loomed menacingly over them  
  
all. "Now, Sailor Moon!" Luna cried.  
  
"Gotcha, Luna," she replied while reaching again for her tiara.  
  
"MOON TIARA... MAGIC!" There was one last cry of despair from the spirit  
  
as the energy disc cut through it, then silence as a pile of dust formed  
  
on the ground.  
  
Kira went over to Odo, who had fallen wearily to his knees. "Odo?"  
  
"I'm fine, Major." He hesitated for a moment, seemingly  
  
embarrassed. "I... hope I didn't injure you."  
  
"Forget it," she reassured him.  
  
Odo nodded, then turned his attention to Sailor Mars and Sailor  
  
Moon, "Thank you." Not waiting for their responses, he lastly addressed  
  
Mars. "And thank you. You didn't have to volunteer to try and save the  
  
changeling." He glanced at it where it still lay motionless. "But I am  
  
glad you did."  
  
"Believe me, part of me wanted to nothing more than blast it. But I  
  
owed you."  
  
"No," Odo corrected her. "Now *I* owe you."  
  
Sisko was surveying the area as Mercury's fog was lifting. There  
  
were the bodies of the fallen Jem'Hadar all over the place, but it  
  
seemed quiet for now. Perhaps it was over.  
  
The same thought was occurring to Mars. She looked again at the  
  
insensate Founder, then at Sailor Moon. "We did it," she said softly,  
  
feeling tears of joy forming. "It didn't kill her. She's alive."  
  
"OK," Sailor Moon began, "Now that it seems like things are over, I  
  
want to know why there are two Sailor Mercuries, two Sailor Mars, why  
  
there were two Tuxedo Masks for a bit (not that I'm complaining about  
  
*that*) and just what they are," she point at Odo and the changeling, "and  
  
who you people are." She took a deep breath, "In short, will someone  
  
please tell me what's going on?!?"  
  
"It's a long story," Sisko answered trying not to smile too broadly,  
  
"But I'll tell you what I can..." He stopped, hearing a distinctive  
  
sound.  
  
The sound of a Jem'Hadar dropping his camouflage field.  
  
Hearing the sound as well, Sailor Moon turned to see the Jem'Hadar  
  
ripple into visibility not more than three meters away, knocking Worf to  
  
the ground in the process.  
  
It's weapon was aimed directly at her.  
  
Pluto stiffened, and grasped her staff tightly. In her mind's eye,  
  
she could see two possible outcomes. Either the future would be restored  
  
to it's previous state, or...  
  
She didn't want to think about the alternative.  
  
Sisko spun around to bring his weapon to bear, but he could see that  
  
the Jem'Hadar was already pressing the trigger of his weapon.  
  
"NO!" Odo yelled out. Given his recent exertions, there was little  
  
else he could do. He just hoped that it's genetically programmed  
  
obedience to changelings would enable him to stop it verbally. "Put  
  
your weapon down!"  
  
It didn't.  
  
Kira aimed her weapon, but Sailor Moon was between herself and the  
  
Jem'Hadar. She moved as fast as she could, but it would be over before  
  
she could fire.  
  
Tuxedo Mask hurled the rose at the Jem'Hadar's weapon.  
  
Nearby, two Luna's leapt for the Dominion soldier in a desperate  
  
attempt to distract him.  
  
O'Brien saw the Jem'Hadar appear and instantly took aim. He had  
  
a clear shot, all he needed was...  
  
A figure in a security guard's uniform stepped in front of him.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.  
  
O'Brien swore violently as only an Irishman could and shoved him to  
  
the ground. "Get out of the way, you bloody idiot!" He brought the  
  
phaser rifle up again and was aiming when he saw that it was already too  
  
late. The barrel of his weapon lowered slowly. "Oh my God."  
  
Sailor Moon stumbled backwards, realizing belatedly that she hadn't  
  
been hit but that someone had interposed themselves between herself and  
  
the Jem'Hadar. Another moment later she realized who it was. "MARS!"  
  
Mars staggered from the impacts, having taken two blasts to her  
  
chest already, but was resolutely staying on her feet. But a third shot  
  
slammed into her and she finally fell just as two cats landed on the  
  
Jem'Hadar's face. But even blinded, he got off another shot. By this  
  
time, Mercury had moved into the line of fire and she was hit in her side  
  
even as she tried to invoke her powers.  
  
The Jem'Hadar never got off another shot, for at that moment his  
  
weapon was hit by a thrown rose and he was hit by four phaser beams. He  
  
fell unmoving to the ground.  
  
Sailor Moon didn't see him fall, nor did she care if he was still  
  
fighting. The only thing she was aware of was that she held a  
  
critically injured Mars in her arms. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars  
  
moved to stand just behind her, each with a look of shock on their face.  
  
"Raye..." Sailor Moon whispered.  
  
Bashir knelt down by them, having already checked on Mercury.  
  
Though seriously wounded herself, she was stable at the moment. However,  
  
he didn't need his tricorder to see that the same couldn't be said for  
  
Mars. As he made the scan, his mind accelerated into high gear, going  
  
over several different avenues of treatment at once to determine the best  
  
one. Mars' eyes flutter open and he suppressed amazement that she was  
  
still conscious, let alone still alive.  
  
Mars looked up. When she saw Sailor Moon, she smiled despite the  
  
pain from her injuries. "Didn't.. hesitate... this time..." she managed  
  
to say. There was a hissing sound as Bashir administered a hypospray, and  
  
she felt the pain recede somewhat.  
  
"Why?" said Sailor Moon through her tears.  
  
"I saw you die once," Mars answered, able to talk easier. "That was  
  
enough..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sailor Moon asked, confusion evident on her face.  
  
"I mean I'm from the future, Meatballhead," she snapped, almost  
  
sounding like herself. "One where you died. I couldn't let it let it  
  
happen again... No matter what..." Mars slumped as she finally lapsed  
  
into unconsciousness.  
  
"Damn it!" Bashir swore as a low whine came from his tricorder.  
  
"We're losing her. I've got to get her back to the Defiant!"  
  
Sisko nodded and tried to pull Sailor Moon clear. She struggled  
  
and protested against this, but fortunately Sailor Mercury and Sailor  
  
Mars were there to help him out.  
  
"Bashir to Defiant, medical emergency. Three.."  
  
"Make it four," a golden haired Luna said.  
  
"Er, four to beam directly to the medical bay." They vanished as  
  
the transporter energized.  
  
Sailor Moon watched the spot where they had been for several  
  
moments before turning to Sisko. From the way the doctor had spoken to  
  
him, it seemed evident that he was the leader of this group. "What's  
  
going on? Who are you people?" she asked tearfully.  
  
"Friends," Sisko said, trying to explain what he could. "From  
  
another world and another time."  
  
"You mean you're from the future? Like M- Mars said?"  
  
"That's right," Odo added. He had taken a position nearby the  
  
unmoving form of the changeling, watching it carefully. "Something  
  
happened which altered the way things were supposed to happen here, in  
  
such a way that it affected our world as well."  
  
Sisko opened his mouth to add something more, but a sudden sound  
  
made him, and everyone else, turn about suddenly, ready for more  
  
fighting. But this time there was no Jem'Hadar appearing out of nowhere.  
  
It was only the youma Rybite moving about, having regained consciousness.  
  
Kira took a threatening step towards it, looking as if she wanted  
  
to attack it again even with her injured shoulder. "Back for more?" The  
  
youma hissed at her and spat a corrosive glob. Kira dodge to the right  
  
so that it only hit the ground.  
  
Before anyone else could move, a loud cry of "MOON TIARA MAGIC"  
  
echoed through the area once again, leaving behind only a pile of dust in  
  
it's wake.  
  
Sisko took another look around the area. There were no signs of any  
  
more Jem'Hadar (not that there ever were), and it looked like several  
  
authority type figures were arriving as well. He also noted that Tuxedo  
  
Mask had departed. He took that as a sign the danger was over. "I think  
  
that about wraps things up."  
  
"Hold on," Sailor Moon said. "Before you go, can you tell me if  
  
Raye will be OK or not?"  
  
"Excuse me, Sailor Moon, but I'm right here!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.  
  
Despite her words, Sisko could tell that she, and Sailor Mercury, was  
  
shaken by the recent events. It was understandable -- you don't see  
  
yourself shot every day.  
  
"I'm not sure," he said, interposing himself verbally in hopes of  
  
avoiding another skirmish between them. "But Dr. Bashir is very skilled  
  
and will do all he can for her."  
  
"Sir, we should be going," Worf said.  
  
Sisko nodded. "I wish we could stay and explain more, but that's  
  
not possible. Good luck Sailor Moon. To all of you." He activate his  
  
comm badge. "Sisko to Defiant, beam up away team." They vanished in a  
  
dazzle of light, to be followed seconds later by the bodies of the  
  
Jem'Hadar as they also disappeared in a similar manner.  
  
Beryl tapped the armrest of her throne as she stared at Jeddite.  
  
"So Jeddite," she finally said, "Your vaunted plan has failed. And thus  
  
you have failed." She leaned forward. "*Again.*"  
  
"Only because of the interference of that starship crew," he  
  
protested. "If Neflyte had destroyed it as he should have, it wouldn't  
  
have been in position to do so. Or perhaps if he had informed us of the  
  
Sailor Scouts that were on it and thwarted his plan!" He turned to glare  
  
at the other General.  
  
Neflyte affected an innocent look. "What Sailor Scouts?"  
  
"Where else could they have come from, Neflyte?" he demanded.  
  
"I have no idea what you're babbling about, Jeddite."  
  
"You lying --"  
  
"Enough, both of you!" Beryl snapped. "I don't care what the cause  
  
of your failure was, Jeddite. Only that it *was* a failure. Now, begone  
  
while I consider your fate."  
  
Not daring to say anything more, Jeddite turned and stormed out of  
  
the throne room. Once outside, he clenched his fist and shook it at the  
  
air. "I *hate* those Sailor Scouts!"  
  
Pluto met Sisko just outside the medical bay. "You did well,  
  
Captain."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"You were successful in preventing Sailor Moon's death. Thus the  
  
mission has been a complete success."  
  
"I had only a small part in preventing it," Sisko replied a little  
  
more harshly than he intended. "The person most responsible for our  
  
success is in there," he indicated to the medical bay door, "and is very  
  
possibly dying even as we speak. And that fact alone doesn't qualify it  
  
as a complete success in my book." He took a step forward and entered  
  
the medical bay. Pluto hesitated for a moment before following him in.  
  
Bashir, assisted by Nurse Reilly, was still working feverishly on  
  
Mars at one of the biobeds. Mercury was lying on the other, being  
  
looked after by Dax. The Trill's own wound had already been seen to, but  
  
she still favored the wounded leg whenever she walked.  
  
"If you'll excuse me, Captain, I'll meet you on the bridge," Pluto  
  
said softly and left the room. Sisko watched her go without comment. He  
  
wasn't entirely sure, but he though he saw a tear on her face as she  
  
exited.  
  
Perhaps he had been too harsh in his words of a few moments before.  
  
Pluto reentered the bridge, moving to stand by one of the rear  
  
stations.  
  
"Any word on Raye?" she heard someone ask. Kira, perhaps.  
  
"No. Dr. Bashir is still working on her," she replied  
  
automatically. But inwardly she already knew what would happen.  
  
Sisko moved to stand by Dax. "How's it going?" he softly asked her.  
  
She shook her head. "Not good, Benjamin," she whispered. "She's on  
  
full life support, but even with that..." Her voice trailed off.  
  
Sisko watched her carefully as she spoke. Knowing Dax as long as he  
  
had, first as Curzon then later as Jadzia, he had become somewhat able to  
  
read her expressions. And from he saw on her face, "Not good" seemed to  
  
be an understatement.  
  
"Doctor, her synaptic network is starting to break down."  
  
Bashir looked up from his attempts to repair the damage to Mars'  
  
cardiac system and saw that Reilly was correct. "Cordical stimulator,"  
  
he said ordered, readying a hypo. Reilly placed the small devices onto  
  
Raye's forehead while Bashir pressed the hypo to her neck. "Now."  
  
Raye's body jumped under the stimulus. Bashir watched the monitor  
  
carefully. There was a brief surge of brain activity, but it had  
  
already started to decline. He made a quick adjustment to the  
  
stimulators. "Again," he ordered, and once more a pulse was directed into  
  
her brain with similar results. Bashir swore and checked the life  
  
support functions. They at least seemed to be functioning perfectly,  
  
taking over the role of her heart and lungs. The problem now was to keep  
  
her brain from failing. "Increase the power of the stimulators by  
  
fifty percent."  
  
"Doctor we're already at the maximum safe level. If --"  
  
"I know that," he said tightly. "Just do it."  
  
"Yes, Doctor."  
  
Sisko and Dax kept silent as they watched Bashir work, struggling  
  
to revive her even long after it became apparent that it was a hopeless  
  
cause. Finally he sighed in resignation. "Note the time of death in  
  
the log," he told Reilly before heading over to the other bed. "I'm  
  
sorry. She's gone," he told her as he mechanically her began seeing to  
  
her wounds.  
  
Mercury didn't reply, but remained still and stared at Raye. Luna  
  
moved slightly and gave her a comforting nuzzle, to which Mercury  
  
scratched her ears absently. "Captain, did we...?"  
  
"Yes," Sisko replied. "Pluto tells me that the mission was a s  
  
uccess. The timelines of both universes have been restored."  
  
She nodded. "That's something at least." Then a thought occurred  
  
to her, "But if that's true, then our past has been altered. So how can  
  
Luna and I still exist?"  
  
"We understand some things about temporal mechanics, but a lot of  
  
the more subtle aspects of it are still vague to us," Dax said. "At a  
  
guess, I'd say the Prophets shielded you from the changes, just as they  
  
protected us during the whole paradox situation."  
  
"That makes sense," Mercury agreed. "It looks as if we have no  
  
place to go, Luna."  
  
"Oh, we'll think of something," the cat tried to reassure her."  
  
"I can help you in that regard," Sisko said. "There's a place for  
  
both of you of Deep Space Nine. If you want it."  
  
They both looked up at him, surprised. "What?" Luna said.  
  
"You can come with us when we return home," Sisko explained. "And  
  
you're both welcome to stay on the station as long as you like. Or you  
  
can go anywhere in the Federation. Or Bajor. It's up to you."  
  
The others looked up expectedly as Sisko and Dax entered the bridge,  
  
save for Pluto. Kira asked the question they all wanted the answer to,  
  
"Raye?"  
  
Sisko shook his head. "She didn't make it," he replied in a subdued  
  
voice.  
  
The disappointment and sorrow they felt was evident in their varied  
  
reactions. Kira closed her eyes and began speaking softly to herself in  
  
Bajoran. SIsko could just about make out some of the words, but he heard  
  
enough to understand it as a prayer to the Prophets on behalf of the  
  
deceased.  
  
O'Brien had muttered something as well, but it hardly appeared to  
  
be polite. The chief had seen more than his fair share of death,  
  
going as far back as the Cardassian raids on Setlik Three.  
  
Worf was typically stoic, though he seemed contemplative. His  
  
human upbringing caused him to feel sadness at her death, but his  
  
Klingon heritage wished her spirit well for she had undoubtably earned a  
  
place among the honored dead.  
  
As usual, Odo was the hardest to read and in fact seemed more  
  
withdrawn than was usual for him. His thoughts were laced with regret  
  
that he wasn't able help Mars at the last, even if it was no fault of his  
  
own. She had put aside her dislike of changelings, and help him save the  
  
Founder the Negaverse had been controlling. Now it seemed he would never  
  
be able to return the favor.  
  
Sisko turned to Sailor Pluto, noting that she hadn't reacted to the  
  
news... at least not in any obvious way. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd  
  
like to take my people home."  
  
"Of course, Captain," she replied. "I take it Sailor Mercury and  
  
Luna will be accompanying you?"  
  
"That's right. Is that a problem?"  
  
"No. It's not." She smiled slightly, "In fact, you will find both  
  
of them a great asset in events to come."  
  
Sisko frowned. "Just what do you mean by that?"  
  
"Ah, that would be telling. Now, about the wormhole..." Her  
  
voice trailed off and she stared at the viewscreen.  
  
"Captain, sensors are detecting a neutrino surge," O'Brien called  
  
out.  
  
"On screen," Sisko ordered, looking to the viewscreen as well. On  
  
it they saw the wormhole opening up. Gone was the red haze that had  
  
dominated it's appearance the last time he saw it, replaced by the  
  
serene blues and whites that normally surrounded the spatial tunnel. He  
  
knew without any lingering doubts that the past of his universe, and that  
  
of the Sailor Scouts, had been fully restored. If at a high price.  
  
"This will take you back to Deep Space Nine moments after you left  
  
it," Pluto told him. "Once you have returned there, it will resume it's  
  
normal behavior."  
  
Sisko looked back at her. "What about the quantum flux? Should we  
  
leave it open to the Gamma Quadrant?"  
  
"I had a feeling you'd ask about that." She walked over to the  
  
weapons console, and rapidly entered a series of coordinates. "I took  
  
the liberty of having one of your quantum torpedoes modified while you  
  
were on Earth. If you fire it into the flux along this trajectory, it  
  
should redirect it away from the Gamma Quadrant."  
  
"And just what will happen then?" Sisko asked. "I don't want  
  
someone else to have to go through something like this again."  
  
Pluto arched an eyebrow. "I am... somewhat an expert in temporal  
  
matters, Captain. I assure you that nothing damaging to the timeline  
  
of either universe will occur. But there will be repercussions."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss it. Simply consider  
  
it... history fulfilling itself."  
  
Sisko eyed her for a moment, trying to divine the meaning to her  
  
words. But there was really no choice. He didn't want to leave the  
  
flux in it's present position, for there was no doubt the Dominion  
  
would send further ships to investigate. And who knew what would  
  
happen then. "Proceed, Mr. Worf." The Klingon officer nodded, and  
  
pressed the firing control. It streaked outward from the Defiant,  
  
then vanished as it entered. Less than a second later, there was a  
  
flash from it's detonation inside the flux.  
  
Dax monitored the results, "It's gone. The flux has been  
  
redirected."  
  
"Good luck, Captain," Pluto said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I  
  
have to check on something. But I'll be back shortly." With that  
  
she vanished.  
  
"What did she mean by that?" Odo asked.  
  
"I don't know," answered Sisko. "No doubt we'll find out soon  
  
enough."  
  
"So," Kira said after a moment. "We won. Everything's back the  
  
way it should be. Their history is back the way it should be, and so  
  
is our's." She glanced around the bridge at her fellow officers. "So  
  
why doesn't it feel like we won?" she asked rhetorically in a voice  
  
tinged with sadness.  
  
No one spoke up to answer her. The reason was abundantly clear to  
  
all of them.  
  
Finally, Dax broke the silence. "Shall I lay in a course for  
  
the wormhole, Captain?"  
  
It suddenly occurred to Sisko just what Pluto meant about being  
  
back. "Not yet, old man," he replied. He turned to the viewscreen,  
  
still centered on the open wormhole. It was tempting to have the  
  
Defiant proceed through it immediately, but... "There's still one more  
  
thing we need to do here."  
  
Next: Wrapping up a few things, a few farewells and the Defiant heads  
  
for home.  
  
Bill Harris  
  
Sci-Fi quote of the month:  
  
"First time you ask me for anything and it has to be at a time like this!" -  
  
Dr. McCoy, exasperated with Spock once again in the TOS episode "Gamesters of  
  
Triskelion" 


	8. Epliogue

soton@aol.com  
  
"The Third Principle of Sentient Life is it's capacity for self  
  
sacrifice. For a cause... A loved one... For a friend." - Ambassador  
  
Delenn from the first season "Babylon 5" episode "A Voice in the  
  
Wilderness, pt. 2"  
  
(Authors Note: I know it's not a Star Trek quote, but it seems to fit  
  
the events of the previous chapter perfectly.)  
  
Epilogue:  
  
There was a brief shimmering in the air just before Pluto reappeared  
  
at the Gateway of Time. "I see that good old Ben and his merry band  
  
managed to pull it off," Q commented without turning.  
  
"Yes, they did," Pluto responded, adding solemnly, "All is as it  
  
was before."  
  
Q turned and regarded her with uncertainly, then sighed. "I should  
  
never have introduced you to the cosmic doughnut all those centuries ago.  
  
Now you're beginning to talk like that so called 'Guardian of Forever'."  
  
"Really, Q, you must work on your sense of humor," Pluto commented  
  
wryly.  
  
"Moi?" Q replied, seemingly shocked. "Work on *my* sense of humor?  
  
That's rich, coming from you. I've known you since well before the fall  
  
of the Silver Millennium and counting this you've cracked maybe a half  
  
dozen jokes."  
  
"I see you're working on your use of hyperbole," Pluto commented,  
  
arching an eyebrow.  
  
"Well... maybe a little," he admitted. He snapped his fingers,  
  
bringing up a view of the Defiant before him. "So, I see a Sailor Scout  
  
is coming over to my side of the fence. This could be interesting."  
  
Q sensed Pluto come up behind him, then felt her tap him on the  
  
shoulder. When he turned to face her, he instinctively drew back in  
  
surprise at seeing not only the anger in her expression, but the Garnet  
  
Orb looming menacingly in his face.  
  
"Leave her alone, Q. She's been through enough, due in no small part  
  
to you."  
  
"And what if I don't?" he retorted automatically.  
  
"Then I will be very... *very*... unhappy."  
  
The staring contest seemed to last an eternity (which is saying  
  
something in this case), but eventually Q sighed. "Oh, very well."  
  
"Thank you," Pluto said, relaxing somewhat.  
  
"But I think you're being somewhat unfair in saddling me with the  
  
blame for her plight. After all, I did warn Picard and Riker not to fire  
  
that torpedo."  
  
"If you hadn't brought the Sailor Scouts to the Enterprise, it never  
  
would have happened," Pluto countered.  
  
"And if you would keep your petty villains on your side of the cosmos,  
  
it never would have been necessary!" Q retorted.  
  
"That is not an area in which I am responsible for, Q. And you well  
  
know it."  
  
"You may be correct," Q admitted. "But you know as well as I that I  
  
had no choice in acting as I did. Otherwise, your precious Crystal Tokyo  
  
would be a Borg colony." Pluto didn't reply directly, but gave a slight  
  
nod in acknowledgement. "Now as much as I would like to continue this  
  
little debate, I must be going." Q smiled, attempting to lighten the  
  
mood somewhat. "Did you know that Jean-Luc has a brand new starship at  
  
his disposal? I'll have to give it a good look over... after I give him  
  
a good dose of 'I told you so!'."  
  
"Would you mind postponing that for a bit?" Pluto asked.  
  
"Why? Can't bear the thought of not having me around?"  
  
Pluto rolled her eyes. "Hardly. But I have some unfinished business  
  
to attend to... on the Defiant."  
  
Q sighed, acting as if this were a major inconvenience. In truth, he  
  
had expected Pluto to make this request. "Oh, very well."  
  
"Thank you," Pluto said and vanished.  
  
Odo entered the almost bare room, the forcefield at the entrance  
  
automatically engaging as soon as he stepped through the doorway. He  
  
regarded the one piece of furniture with some interest. "Are you  
  
comfortable?" he asked it.  
  
The chair flowed, becoming a gelatinous substance and finally  
  
settled into a humanoid form with roughly the same characteristics as  
  
Odo. "For the most part," the changeling said. "Though I find it  
  
uncomfortable being confined like this."  
  
"A necessary precaution, I think you would agree," Odo said.  
  
"Especially given their previous encounters with changelings."  
  
It didn't bother to comment, but moved it's limbs about as if  
  
stretching them. "It feels good to be able control my shape once more  
  
and not to have to shift at the behest of that... whatever it was." It  
  
sighed. "I will need some time to recover from this experience, time I  
  
need within the Great Link." It looked at Odo, "Captain Sisko *is* going  
  
to return me to the Dominion?"  
  
"He said he would, after we return to the station," Odo replied,  
  
regarding the changeling with some disbelief. "You'll be ferried to the  
  
Gamma Quadrant, where we'll arrange to meet with a Dominion vessel."  
  
"Good," it said. It seemed to notice that Odo was still looking at  
  
it in disbelief. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yes, there is," Odo said. "You seem to have no regard for Sailor  
  
Mars' death."  
  
It shrugged. "They live and they die, Odo. Such is their lot."  
  
Odo snorted, and paced about the room. "I don't believe this," he  
  
muttered. He stopped and glared at the changeling. "You really don't  
  
care, do you? You don't care that two young girls were willing to  
  
sacrifice themselves to set things right for us. That the one who did  
  
so, who may have suffered the most because of you, was willing to put  
  
her hatred aside long enough to save your life?"  
  
"Should it?" The changeling seemed mystified. "After all Odo,  
  
they're only solids."  
  
Odo stared at the changeling for several moments. Then, disgusted,  
  
he spun and headed for the door. He hesitated momentarily there, then  
  
turned back. "No," he said emphatically. "They're not *just* solids.  
  
And at times like these, I think they're more than we will ever be."  
  
Worf stood silently in the torpedo bay, maintaining his silent vigil  
  
over the casings containing the fallen Sailor Scouts. Behind him, he  
  
heard the door his open then felt someone approach and stand beside him.  
  
"Somehow I expected to find you here," Kira said. "It's called Ak'voh,  
  
right?"  
  
"Yes." Worf was mildly surprised that she knew this. It was an old  
  
tradition, where the companions to a fallen warrior kept watch over the  
  
body of a fallen comrade and kept away the predators until the spirit  
  
could make the journey to Sto'vo'kor. The custom was not that well known  
  
outside the Empire and one that was not widely observed these days. "You  
  
are well versed in Klingon traditions, Major."  
  
"I wasn't... at least not before the Klingon invasion of Cardassia.  
  
Since then, Jadzia has been helping me get up to speed on Klingon  
  
culture."  
  
"I see." Worf took the opportunity to glance in her direction,  
  
then faced forward once more. "How is the arm?"  
  
Kira looked down to her left arm, which was secured in a sling, and  
  
flexed her hand experimentally. "It's stiff and hurts like hell. But  
  
Dr. Bashir says it should be fine in a few days." Worf nodded  
  
noncommittally, but made no other comment. After a few silent minutes,  
  
Kira sighed. "You were right."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"When we first entered this universe, you told me that I wouldn't  
  
call them just a 'kids group' if I had seen them in action. Well, you  
  
were right."  
  
Worf didn't reply immediately. He had made a similar mistake  
  
himself upon his first meeting with the Scouts. Indeed, one could say  
  
his first encounter with Serena was less than pleasant.  
  
Kira spoke before he could say anything though. "If you don't mind,  
  
I'd like to stay here a bit." A small smile came to her face. "Help  
  
keep the predators at bay."  
  
"I don't mind, but... If I may ask... Why?"  
  
"Raye," she replied. "As I got to know her, I saw a lot of things  
  
in her that reminded me of myself."  
  
"How so?"  
  
Kira paused, trying to put her feelings into words. "We had some  
  
things in common, for one. We both lost our mothers at an early age,  
  
both of us had to take up a fight against an alien invader on our  
  
worlds. Plus we both had our spiritual beliefs."  
  
"And you are both short tempered," Worf said.  
  
"Look who's talking," Kira stated. After Worf chose not to reply,  
  
she continued, "But I think most of all, I saw in her qualities that  
  
could have been in my life, had it not been for the Cardassians... If  
  
I hadn't been forced to join the Resistance."  
  
Worf nodded, "I think I understand."  
  
They heard the door hiss open behind them. "Uh... Commander,  
  
Major?" a voice said hesitantly. They turned to face O'Brien. "It's  
  
time."  
  
Raye sat down heavily on the temple steps, "This has been one  
  
helluva day, right from the get go." She heaved a sigh of frustration.  
  
"I'm glad all that's over. Ever since Dax and my counterpart came over,  
  
I've been looking all around for that changeling."  
  
"Oh, so that's why you've been acting so oddly today," Amy observed.  
  
"'Fraid so." Raye noticed Serena glaring at her. "What?"  
  
"You knew this was going to happen?" she said accusingly.  
  
"Well, not this exactly, but --"  
  
"AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!?"  
  
Raye's mouth moved several times, but she said nothing, so shocked  
  
she was by Serena's outburst. It was up to Luna to say, "Give her a  
  
chance to explain her side, Serena. I'm sure Raye had a very good reason  
  
for not saying anything."  
  
Serena switch her glare to the black cat. "And what's your story,  
  
Luna? You were acting odd the whole day as well."  
  
"I knew something odd was going on," Luna admitted. "After all, I  
  
did meet my double in the tree the night before. But with her disguise,  
  
I didn't it was anything more than another cat. All I had to go on was  
  
an odd feeling that something was amiss."  
  
"And in my case, I didn't meet my counterpart until a few minutes  
  
before things started happening," Amy said. "By that time, Luna and I  
  
had already separated from you two. The only thing I could do was try  
  
and get back to where you were."  
  
"All right," Serena said, returning her gaze to Raye, "But --"  
  
"But nothing!" Raye shot back. She stood up and looked Serena  
  
right in the eye. "I didn't say anything to anyone because they told me  
  
not to! Because they said if I did, if things didn't proceed almost  
  
exactly as they should, that changeling wouldn't be there. Then they  
  
wouldn't have any idea where or when it would strike next." Raye paused  
  
and took a deep breath. "Considering how well it imitated Tuxedo Mask,  
  
it could have tried posing as anyone next time. Maybe as me, or Amy, or  
  
even your mother! And then it'd kill you, just like it did in the other  
  
Raye's past."  
  
"I... I hadn't thought of that," Serena stammered.  
  
"Just what were you thinking?" Raye demanded. "Did you think I didn't  
  
say anything because I didn't care if you get hurt? Or killed? Is that  
  
it? Just what kind of person do you think I am?"  
  
"Sorry..." Serena mumbled contritely.  
  
"You'd better be!" Raye continued angrily. "Despite the fact that  
  
you're a ditzy, clumsy brat, I don't want to see you hurt!"  
  
"Well, I... HEY!" Serena shifted emotional gears rapidly, going  
  
instantly to a fuming state. "You take that back!"  
  
"You can't take the truth back," Raye retorted.  
  
Luna sighed as the argument escalated. 'I suppose I'm going to have  
  
to break them up... Again.' Then she noticed that Amy seemed oblivious to  
  
the fight, for she had opened up her computer moments before and was  
  
staring intently at the screen. "What is it, Amy?"  
  
The blue haired girl jumped slightly, startled. "Oh, I got a message."  
  
"A message?" Luna frowned. Who could know to send a message to Amy  
  
over her computer? "Who from?"  
  
"My counterpart," she replied softly.  
  
Despite how low her voice was, it seemed to penetrate through the  
  
verbal barrage between Raye and Serena. They both turned, and gaped at  
  
her. "From your future self?" Serena asked.  
  
"What's it say, Amy," Raye added.  
  
Amy began to read aloud:  
  
Amy,  
  
(It's really strange to be writing a message to myself!)  
  
I've programmed this to be downloaded into your computer if our  
  
mission was successful. Serena is safe, and you three can go on with  
  
your mission: seeking out the Moon Princess and battling the forces of  
  
the Negaverse.  
  
I calculated a high degree of probability that either Raye or myself,  
  
or both, may not survive this mission. If this is so, don't grieve for  
  
us. Success for us meant the utter destruction of the world we came  
  
from... And very probably we would cease to exist soon afterwards.  
  
That doesn't matter, for failure would carry too great a price for us:  
  
seeing Serena die again, and the world fall to the Negaverse without all  
  
the Sailor Scouts to battle them.  
  
There are many thing I could tell you that would make your battle  
  
easier. Knowledge about other foes from the Negaverse, where you can  
  
find others to help you, among others. But I've been asked not to provide  
  
too much information to you. So I'm afraid you'll have to learn it the  
  
hard way. But I know you three will win out in the end.  
  
Best of Luck,  
  
Amy  
  
Sailor Mercury  
  
"Now, remember," Bashir was saying as he entered the bridge carrying  
  
Sailor Mercury, "You've just undergone surgery, so don't do anything to  
  
overexhert yourself -- like standing. After all, your insides are still  
  
being held together with microsutures."  
  
"Yes, Doctor," she answered. Satisfied, Bashir moved over to the  
  
Tactical One station and sat her down in the chair. Meanwhile Luna, her  
  
fur now back to it's normal black color, bounded over from her perch on  
  
one of Sisko's consoles and leapt into Mercury's arms. In an almost  
  
automatic response, she began scratching the cat behind her ears.  
  
Dax looked up from the helm. "We're in position, Benjamin. One AU  
  
from the Sun, directly opposite from Earth."  
  
"Very well, Dax," Sisko said. "Hold station here." Instead of  
  
sitting in the command chair, he was standing behind it. Lined up in  
  
flanking positions on both sides of him, the other members of the senior  
  
staff were likewise standing, with Bashir hovering near Mercury's chair  
  
like a worried mother hen. Only Dax was at her station and, after setting  
  
the helm to hold their current position, she got up as well and moved to  
  
one side of the bridge.  
  
"Shipwide speakers online, Captain," Kira said.  
  
Sisko nodded and prepared to speak, but felt and heard a slight  
  
ripple effect behind him. Looking backwards, he wasn't surprised to see  
  
Pluto standing in the bridge rear. She greeted him silently, but  
  
otherwise didn't say or do anything else.  
  
Facing the viewscreen once more, Sisko took a deep breath, ordering  
  
his thoughts. Though necessary, this was one of the duties of command he  
  
hated the most. "We are gathered here today to pay our final respects to  
  
our honored dead," he began. "To those who have fallen in battle and have  
  
given that last full measure of devotion.  
  
"Lita Kino,better known to us as Sailor Jupiter; Mina Aino, Sailor  
  
Venus, and Artemis. Most of us didn't get a chance to know them. Indeed,  
  
some of us barely met them before they died. But the fact that they fought  
  
to save their world, despite knowing the odds of success were slim, speaks  
  
well of them.  
  
"But it is a different case for Raye Hino, known also as Sailor Mars.  
  
We did get to know her over the last few days. Hot tempered, but with a  
  
passionate love for life... but more so for her friends. She willingly  
  
sacrificed herself to save Sailor Moon... and she wasn't the only one  
  
willing to make such a sacrifice." He took a surreptitious glance at  
  
Mercury out of the corner of his eye. Her face was expressionless, but  
  
the tears and the look in her eyes told her true feelings. Feeling that  
  
were mirrored in the expressions of Luna, and of the rest of the crew.  
  
"In doing so, she secured not only the future of her world, but the  
  
existence of our own. We can never truly repay the debt we owe her."  
  
Finished, Sisko nodded to Worf. The Klingon touched a control on  
  
the weapons panel, triggering the torpedo launch sequence and the three  
  
caskets bearing the bodies were launched from the torpedo tubes.  
  
Artemis and Venus were in the same casket, at Luna's insistence.  
  
As the caskets faded from view into the Sun's glare, Kira spoke, "We  
  
commit their bodies to the vastness of space and to the fires of their  
  
home star, in the hopes their spirits may find peace. May they walk with  
  
the Prophets." As she finished, the computer ran another preprogrammed  
  
sequence, firing several low power bursts from the pulse phasers.  
  
Twenty one in all.  
  
"As you where," Sisko said after several moments. As the crew went  
  
back to their stations while behind them, Pluto bade Mercury and Luna a  
  
silent farewell before vanishing herself.  
  
Sisko sat himself in his command chair then said, "Set course for  
  
the wormhole. One half impulse."  
  
"Course and speed set," Dax replied after making the necessary  
  
adjustments to the helm.  
  
Sisko paused before giving the order to engage and glanced over  
  
at Mercury. She and Luna hadn't moved yet, still watching the viewscreen.  
  
He hoped this would help them start the healing process, and they would  
  
be able to move on with their new lives on Deep Space Nine. But he knew  
  
from personal experience that it wouldn't be easy. It had taken him years  
  
to put Jennifer's death at Wolf 359 fully behind him.  
  
And was he doing them any favors by bringing them to DS9? After all,  
  
it was hardly a peaceful haven; with the problems he was having with the  
  
breakdown of the Klingon alliance, the Maquis, the constant and ever  
  
increasing threat of war with the Dominion and a host of others.  
  
Only the Prophets knew for certain what the future held. All he  
  
really knew was the he and his crew would do everything they could to  
  
help them make the adjustment.  
  
He turned back to the helm, where Dax was patiently awaiting his  
  
orders. "Take us home, old man," he said, his voice tired and somber.  
  
"Take us home."  
  
End.  
  
Notes:  
  
Comments, critiques and questions are welcome. Just email me at  
  
Soton@aol.com.  
  
As before, thanks to Gene Roddenberry and Naoko Takeuchi, for  
  
creating their respective genres. Additional thanks to Rick Berman  
  
and Micheal Piller for creating "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."  
  
I would also like to add a special thank you to Will Wolfshohl,  
  
who has provided a lot of critical commentary along the way (thus sparking  
  
an additional idea or two for me) and for patiently answering my  
  
questions regarding Sailor Pluto.  
  
If you're wondering, the Scouts meetings with the Enterprise and  
  
the Enterprise D are depicted in previously written stories -- "Sailor  
  
Trek" and "Sailor Trek TNG". Both are available at the following  
  
fanfic archive sites:  
  
A Sailor Moon Romance  
  
http://www.ctd.nwu.edu/~aerdnahu/  
  
"Tuxedo" Will's Fanfiction Archive  
  
http://log.on.ca/users/helm/anime/index.htm  
  
The Best Sailor Moon Fanfiction on the Net  
  
http://www3.sympatico.ca/john.hitchens/MAINPAGE.HTM  
  
Next up - the last story of the Sailor Trek Saga: Sailor Trek Voyager -  
  
"Where No Sailor Scout Has Gone Before" -- Something evil lurks in the  
  
Delta Quadrant. And it threatens to overwhelm the crew of the Starship  
  
Voyager. But there is one thing that can save them.  
  
The Sailor Scouts!  
  
Preview snippet:  
  
None of them needed to be told that it was a space craft of some  
  
kind. That much was obvious. But it was a large ship, being over one  
  
hundred meters in length. The upper section was an elongated oval shape,  
  
attached to a lower section. And toward the rear were two large nacelles,  
  
set at the same height as the lower section. The landing strut extending  
  
outward from the bottom and the lack of ice debris around it told them  
  
that it had landed on it's own volition and had not crashed.  
  
"There's some lettering on it, but I can't make any of it out,"  
  
Venus observed.  
  
"Neither can I," Tuxedo Mask added.  
  
"Hold on," Mercury said, deploying her visor. After a moment she  
  
read, "NCC-74656. USS Voyager. United Federation of Planets."  
  
The others goggled. "Federation?" Mars said in a strangled voice.  
  
"It's a Starfleet ship," Tuxedo Mask said, his voice awed.  
  
"Well," Venus said, a slight smile on her face, "Here we go again."  
  
  
  
planned:  
  
Highlander Moon - The Scouts meet up with Duncan MacLeod of the clan  
  
MacLeod. (coming soon!) 


End file.
